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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-07-15 Fire Commission Regular MinutesHAWAII COUNTY FIRE COMMISSION MINUTES OF JULY 15, 2015 AUPUNI CENTER CONFERENCE ROOM 101 PAUAHI STREET, HILO, HAWAII CALL TO ORDER Chair De Luz called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: David De Luz, Jr., Chair Kimo Lee, Vice Chair Robert Becker, Commissioner Carol Ignacio, Commissioner Mapuana Waipa, Commissioner Absent: Carol Kitaoka, Commissioner (A quorum was present) Also Present: Darren Rosario, Fire Chief Melanio Lorenzo, Accountant Paul Lakin, Volunteer Commander Jennifer Ng, Deputy Corporation Counsel Josie Pelayo, Secretary APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Ignacio motioned to approve the agenda. Commissioner Waipa seconded, and it carried unanimously. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS (None.) Chair De Luz introduced the commission's new attorney, Deputy Corporation Counsel Jennifer Ng, and newly appointed Commissioner Robert Becker from Council District 6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MARCH 18, 2015 Commissioner Waipa motioned to approve the minutes of March 18, 2015. Commissioner Ignacio seconded, and it carried unanimously. FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT Chief Rosario highlighted items from his written report: BUDGET STATUS: Accountant Lorenzo reported that the 2014-15 budget was put in a critical situation due to the lava flow, other natural disasters, and unbudgeted payroll increases. Funds from the Federal Government were not realized because the lava did not cross the highway, and they had to take critical steps to off -set their budget. Chief Rosario reported that some training had to be moved to the next fiscal year, and they received some funding from another source. Overtime was curtailed as much as possible. They were able to get reimbursements from County Finance and ended the year on a positive note without a deficit. In response to Commissioner Becker's inquiry, Chief Rosario stated that their request for a grant manager was denied. They will be getting two fire planner positions, one in Hilo Hawaii County Fire Commission Minutes of July 15, 2015 Page 2 and one in Kona. They received approval for two new vehicles for the battalion chiefs, a new tanker, and a Class A pumper. • ALTERNATIVE FUNDING AND GRANTS: The Sayer Foundation donated equipment that will go to Waimea. The status of grants was briefly summarized. • HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION: Recruitments: Five temporary Water Safety Officers were hired for the summer. They are on track to hire 25 Fire Fighter Recruits in September. A Battalion Chief position was filled in June with a transfer. They are working on forecasting retirements. However, County employees are only required to give them one month's notice retirement. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS DIVISION ➢ Special Operations ✓ Hazmat: Specific locations near PGV were identified to deploy the Area Rae monitors in the event of an incident at PGV. LEPC will fund three HFD personnel to attend this year's Hazmat Challenge in September. ✓ Rescue: Funding was received from Ironman via the Sayre Foundation to train 15 rescue personnel to be instructors. ✓ Ocean Safety: The Jr. Lifeguard Program started in June in Hilo, Puna, Punalu'u, Kahalu`u, and Hapuna. The Island Championships will be held on July 18 and the State Championships on August 1, both at Hapuna. The Drowning Prevention Ocean Safety Conference will be held on July 30 and 31 at the Hapuna Beach Prince in conjunction with the State Jr. Lifeguard Championships. (Deputy Corporation Counsel Ng left the meeting at 10:45 a.m.) SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION ➢ Volunteer Training: Volunteer Commander Paul Lakin reported that they continue to get volunteers. They helped with a wildfire incident in Ka'u. They will be recognizing their volunteers, some of whom have been volunteering for 20-25 years. Chief Rosario has been very supportive of the volunteers. The next volunteer captains' meeting will be on August 15. Chair De Luz suggested inviting County Council members to their meetings. Chief Rosario stated that volunteer stations were started when community members brought their concern about high fire insurance rates to their council members. They have had inquiries about additional stations, but cost is a factor, and they need to take care of their existing stations. ➢ EMS Bureau: Chief Rosario recognized FMS Shane Paulos who recently passed away. NEW PROJECTS/BUSINESS They supported the 2nd Annual Hilo Triathlon with Ocean Safety and EMS on June 12. They are in consultation with HFFA and the Mayor's office regarding minimum manning requirements. They are on track for the new Haihai Fire Station and anticipate an opening date of October 2016. Renovation of the Central Fire Station has been authorized, and bidding will go out next month. Hawaii County Fire Commission Minutes of July 15, 2015 Page 3 • EMPLOYEE/PUBLIC RELATIONS: The Daniel Sayre Memorial Foundation awards dinner and auction will be held on September 15 at the Fairmont Orchid. In response to Commissioner Becker's inquiry about established life for equipment and a fund for replacement, Chief Rosario stated that he and the previous Chief have tried to have a line item in the budget for equipment replacement, but it keeps getting denied. The Mayor has been very supportive of replacing their apparatus which has had an average age of 18 years. The national guideline is 15 years. They have gotten federal government excess equipment. COMMITTEE REPORTS/UPDATES • Budget and Finance (Ignacio): No report. Office Management and Staffing (De Luz): Chair De Luz stated that he would like to use a consent agenda which should speed up the meeting and the preparation of the minutes. He will discuss this with corporation counsel. He is working with the Chief and corporation counsel on revising the complaint form. He would like to start the Chief's evaluation process in November, and they may need alternate meeting dates. He believes they are allowed to speak with the Chief individually. He asked the commissioners to inform Ms. Pelayo immediately if they cannot attend a scheduled meeting. • Rules and Policies (Kitaoka): No report. • Public Relations (Lee): No report. • Training and Education (Waipa): No report. • Rules and Regulations Review Committee (Kitaoka): No report. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair De Luz announced that the August meeting will be cancelled due to a lack of quorum. The next scheduled meeting is for September 9 in the Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi St., Hilo, Hawaii. ADJOURNMENT Vice Chair Lee motioned to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Ignacio seconded, and it carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 12:17 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: JOSIE PELAYO, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: DAVID DE LUZ, JR., CHAIR