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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-08-15 Fire Commission Regular MinutesHAWAII FIRE COMMISSION MINUTES OF AUGUST 15, 2018 WEST HAWAII CIVIC CENTER 74-5044 ANE KEOHOKALOLE HIGHWAY, KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII CALL TO ORDER Chair Becker called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Robert Becker, Chair Scott Susman, Vice Chair Gregory Henkel, Commissioner Kyle Keamo, Commissioner Bobbye St. Ambrogio, Commissioner Absent: Denise Laitinen, Commissioner Donna Payesko, Commissioner A quorum was present. Also Present: Darren Rosario, Fire Chief John Bertsch, Volunteer Commander Renee Schoen, Assistant Corporation Counsel Josie Pelayo, Secretary APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Yawata motioned to approve the agenda. Vice Chair Susman seconded, and it carried unanimously. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS (None.) APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JULY 11, 2018 Vice Chair Susman motioned to approve the minutes. Commissioner St. Ambrogio seconded, and it carried unanimously. FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT Chief Rosario highlighted items from his written report: • Budget and Finance: They are submitting a request to the Council to consider approval of replacement pumpers for Laupahoehoe and Kailua that were not approved in the final budget submittal. It would be a 5 -year payment plan, and payment won't be until FY 2019/20. Costs are up due to the volcanic eruption and large brush fires. FEMA is expected to reimburse 75% of their costs. They spent $600,000 on the eruption activity, some were due to rescue activities. Their current 2018/19 budget is extremely tight. Hawaii Fire Commission Minutes of August 15, 2018 Page 2 Commissioner St. Ambrogio stated that the volunteers did a great job with the wild fires. Alternative Funding and Grants ✓ 2018 CDBG: Bid specs for the Paradise Park brush truck apparatus was finalized. ✓ 2018 State Highways Grant: $16,490 was awarded for child protective seats and $96,943.56 for powered portable extrication tools for HOVE, Pahala, and Honoka`a. ✓ 2019 State Highways Grant application for additional portable extrication tools was submitted. ✓ Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation: Ironman donated $35,000 via Sayre for both the career and volunteer sides. A private donor gave a cash donation for a brush tanker for Waikoloa/S. Kohala via Sayre. • Human Resources Division: Open recruitment in progress for Fire Equipment Mechanic, Fire Fighter Recruit, Fire Radio Dispatcher I, and Water Safety Officer I AC Andrade retires at the end of this month. AC Uchida was promoted to Deputy. Emergency Operations Division ✓ Operations: Due to the volcanic activity, they lost Isaac Hale and Pohoiki. The towers were removed early on. Eleven WSOs assigned to those beaches were move to other locations. They are proposing to the Mayor and HGEA to move those positions to Hilo and Ka'u. Commissioner Henkel stated that more people are now using Hilo beaches. Chief stated that a beach usage report is available. Station 19 was moved to Station 10A and Station 5 due to the volcanic activity. They are looking at a rental, but it would have to meet ADA requirements. FEMA would assist with building a temporary station. The Waikoloa fire was a major one for Battalion 2. ✓ Special Operations ➢ Hazmat: Two personnel will attend Hazmat Continuing Challenge paid for by the LEPC. Outdated equipment decreases their ability to respond to incidents effectively, and they are looking to secure funding. ➢ Rescue: FRS Neeson will be sent to dive rescue training in September. This will help alleviate the workload on FEO Mahon who is their sole dive instructor. The Sayre Awards Dinner will be held on September 1. ➢ Ocean Safety: The Junior Lifeguard program was completed and championships held on July 14. They will send 20 Junior Lifeguards to the State Championships on Kauai on August 24. Hawaii Fire Commission Minutes of August 15, 2018 Page 3 • Support Services Division ✓ Training: The training office was temporarily moved from the warehouse to the Haihai station in preparation for the upcoming recruit class. The 46th recruit class will begin on August 16. ✓ Volunteer Training: Captain Bertsch reported that Bravo Teams 7, 9, and 16 worked 36 hours on the fire ground during the recent brush fires. Volunteers also assisted with the fire in Volcano. Ironman will be giving a donation to the Sayre Foundation for shirts and belt buckles for the volunteers. Some volunteers have been volunteering for 25-30 years. The next captains' meeting will be on September 15 in Discovery Harbor. Retired AC Honda will conduct a new driver training program. Chair Becker stated that since the National Park truck was moved to Volcano Village, the volunteers are there every day. He asked if the volunteers have a program of work. Chief Rosario stated that they have a monthly training schedule. Commissioner Henkel asked if there was protocol to start a new volunteer fire station. Chief Rosario stated that startup cost is about $1 million. They need to meet requirements, have the apparatus, equipment, proper protective equipment, and land. ✓ EMS Bureau: MICT students completed KCC final exams and passed. A grant proposal was turned in by the West Hawaii Community Health Center for the Community Paramedic Program. They had several significant EMS calls. One was a fatal shooting of a police officer in Puna that had an impact on several HFD personnel in Kea`au. Another shooting incident involved the fatal shooting of the suspect who killed the officer and the wounding of a police officer and a female at the scene. A lava boat incident occurred, and they transported four patients via HFD units. ✓ Prevention Bureau: The bureau is moving to 24-hour duty. They had one fireworks related call on 4th of July compared to nine last year ✓ Auxiliary Services: They are working on a redesign of the Auxiliary Services Sharepoint site for better usability. They received approval for new E-Draulic tool sets for Stations 9 and 16. The mechanic shop continues to be very busy. A new dispatch class will start on October 1. Their Policy and Procedures Manual is being updated. • Public Relations: The department participated in the funeral services for Police Officer Bronson Kaliloa and California Fire Fighter Brian Hughes who was original from Hilo. Hawaii Fire Commission Minutes of August 15, 2018 Page 4 Other Departmental Activities: They are looking at doing their own Fire Department website. The Charter Commission requested input on changes. He wants changes in the requirements for Fire Chief and having clear responsibilities between the Commission and the Mayor. • 2018 Program of Work Update (No report.) Recess was called 10:55 a.m. The meeting reconvened at 11:10 a.m. NEW BUSINESS Letter from Charter Commission requesting input and any proposals for amendment to the Charter. Commissioners gave their thoughts: Vice Chair Susman stated that the public looks at this body as oversight. He wants the function of the Fire Commission to be clearly written. It states that they cannot interfere in administrative affairs. They have the right to look and see what's going on. He wants a means for certifying how hiring is done. Chair Becker stated that he sees administrative affairs as personnel matters. Notifying the Chief of things and visiting a station is a matter of courtesy. The public has certain expectations, but the commission doesn't have the power to do some things. He wants more clarification of oversight. Commissioner Henkel stated that he doesn't see any gray areas. They have oversight, but they don't interfere in administrative affairs. They hire the Chief, and they can make recommendations. He would only make minor changes. Commissioner St. Ambrogio felt that administrative affairs need to be more defined. Commissioner Keamo stated that he doesn't want to tell the Chief how to do his job. He respects the Chief's decision. He is the boots on the ground. Chair Becker asked the commissioners to submit their recommendations to Ms. Pelayo so he can prepare a response to the Charter Commission. He will review the HRS requirements for the Fire Chief. The Charter Commission needs to review the court case regarding the Kauai Police Commission vs. their Mayor. Chief Rosario stated that, as a matter of courtesy, he would like to be notified if any of them want to visit a station. He would like to give the guys there a heads up. With regards to their hiring process, they are above board, and he is proud of what he has done. He asked the commission to tell him if they feel he is doing anything wrong. Hawaii Fire Commission Minutes of August 15, 2018 Page 5 CHAIR'S REPORT ON MATTERS OF INTEREST TO THE COMMISSION Chair Becker stated that in reviewing their program of work, they need to do the Chief's review in December. Also in December, they will vote for the Chair and Vice Chair for 2019. They will start on next year's program of work in October. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Becker announced that the commission's next monthly meeting will be held on September 12, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. in the Aupuni Center Conference, 101 Pauahi St., Hilo, Hawaii. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 12:33 p.m. SUBMITTED BY: JOSIE PELAYO, SECRETARY APPROVED BY: ROBERT BECKER, CHAIR