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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.6.12 min APPROVED COUNTY OF KAUAI Minutes of`Meeting OPEN SESSION Board/Conu-nittei FIRE COMMISSION Meeting Date August 6, 2012 Location Mo'ikcha Building, Meeting Room 2A/213 Start of Meeting: 2:09 p.m. End of Meeting: 3:15 p.m. Present Members: Guy Croydon; Basilio Fuertes, Jr.; Mike Nakano; Jesse Fukushima; Jimmy Miranda(2:20 Also Fire Chief Robert Westerman; Deputy County Attorney Mauna Kea Trask; Boards & Commissions Office Staff- Support Clerk Lani Agoot; Administrator Paula Morikami; Administrative Aide Teresa Tamura Excused Chair Linda Ka'auwai-Iwamoto Absent Vice-Chair Darnney Proudfoot SUBJECT DISCUSSION —------ ACTION Attorney Trask said with the absence of the Chair and the Vice-Chair, the Commission would need to elect a Chair Pro Tern to conduct today's meeting. Mr. Croydon moved to nominate Mr. Fukushima as the Chair Pro 'fem. Mr. Basilio seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 Cali To Order Chair Pro Tern Fukushima called the meeting to order at 2:09 p.m. with 4niernbers present which torLlru. Approval of Regular Open Session Minutes July 2, 2012 Mr. Fuertes moved to approve the minutes as Minutes circulated. Mr. Nakano seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 Business KFC 2012-13 Inquiry as to the policy of closing fire stations. Chair Pro Tern Fukushima asked Deputy County Attorney Trask if this item needed to be received and moved to the executive session to which Mr. Jimmy Miranda entered the meeting Trask explained that it could, however if the Commission had questions for Chief Westerman regarding policy and the closing of fire stations they could ask at this time in open session. Chair Pro Tem Fukushima asked the Commission if they had questions regarding the policy on the closure of fire stations and how they go about making Sure emergency services and fire set-vices are on 24/7 s Kaua'i Fire Commission Open Session August 6, 2012 Page 2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Chief Westerman responded that currently there was no written policy on the closing of fire stations, The Chief asked for further clarification from Chair Pro Tern Fukushinia regarding his question, whether it was in regard to closure during the(lay when services are provided, closure of a station due to the lack of staff or a brownout, or terminating and closing a fire station permanently. Mr. Croydon asked where the business item originated from to which Chair Pro Tem Fukushirna clarified that he had submitted a letter to the Fire Commission as well as to the County Attorney. He explained the reason lie brought this to the Commission was he wanted to know what the policy of the Fire Department was in case there is closure of a fire station due to the lack ofmairpower and what is the minimum requirement of manpower to house a fire station. Chief Westerman responded that daily staffing at every station was 4 people minimum and that their goal, as stated in the goals and objectives every year, is they try and man to the 4-7-40 N'F'P'A 17 10 staffing standard which means they staff every station with 4 people daily and try to do that 90% of the time. He went on to say that some days there may be 3 in a station but they would not close the station due to that reason alone, The Chief then clarified what "closim,, a station" meant, which is that they might relocate a station which would literally close that district because of the relocation of the fire truck. An example he gave was there may be a.bad incident in Hanalei, Engine Company I is on the North Shore so they would relocate Engine 8 to cover the district while Engine I is busy. This would in essence close Engine 8 but only as they shifted staff to respond to calls during the day, Chief Westerman said this was a decision handled daily by the Battalion Chief Kaua'i Fire Commission Open Session August 6, 2012 Page 3 --SUBJ1"CT DISCUSSION 1C 1Itw) and as he has engines out of service doing a fire lie might relocate an engine, Chief Westerman further clarified there were times where they do shift exchange and until they get people moved around, a station may only have 2 people which are comparable to a brownout of a station. He said that had only happened once over the past 4 to 5 years. The Chief explained that all extreme situation would be for example if there was an outbreak of the Avian Flu, they have 2 ways to respond to this situation. One, there is a policy where they can go to an A/B shift, meaning, currently there are 3 shifts operating every day, this policy allows them to divide one shift into two shifts to cover the shortage. He said beyond that, they would have to be in dire straits to shut down a station and he does not foresee that at any time hence there is no policy. Chief Westerman again clarified that their policy was to adjust staffing numbers and to follow the,17,44-)'NJ--'IIA 17-1 0'standard to maintain that minimum staffing level for a minimum of 90% of the time. Chair ProTein Fukushirna,asked the Chief what the normal practice was for the Fire Department when there is not enough staff to man a station and who makes that decision at that point in time, and, is the Chief being apprised of the situation on a 24/7 basis. The Chief responded that he absolutely was kept informed of these situations and that the decision was made by thel3attalion Chief He said the intent is to do the staffing ahead of schedule so that people will locate to their correct station to avoid this issue. He also said however, that the firefighter does have the option to go first to his home station and then on to his reassigned station and it has to do with the FLSA rules. Chair Pro Tern Fukushima asked the Chief for further clarification to which he replied that their option is they can show up to their reassigned station or ro to their borne station at the beginning crf their shift. lle said if the Kaua'i Fire Commission Open Session August 6, 2012 Page 4 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION firefighter chooses to go to their home station and they end up shorthanded at the assigned station they attempt to hold over somebody until that firefighter reports in. Chair Pro Tern Fukushima asked Chief Westerman what would happen if the firefighter chose to go to his home station instead of his assigned station leaving the assigned station shorthanded, and at what point would the Chief say there was potentially an emergency due to the lack of personnel knowing that you would still have to provide fire support services within the community. Chief Westerman responded that he did not see that as something that would ever happen due the fact that every station has a station relatively close to it, approximately 5 or 10 minutes away. He said that even if a station had 2 firefighters they could handle a medical emergency and if they had to respond to a fire then-second station is going to be there in 10 minutes. The Chief said the only time there may be that extreme of an emergency was for example the Koloa fire because they had every single firefighter that was on duty fighting the fire, leaving all other districts unprotected, The Chief said they could not manage staff for the extreme; they could only work the extreme. Mr. Croydon commented that there was no way to cover for every single possible outcome and the County was not going to pay for the coverage. f le said that 4 deep is where you try to keep staff. If you lose a man, it is 3 deep and still good to go; if they lose a man then they shift people as necessary. Chair Pro Tern Fukushima asked the Chief when the brownout was and how long did it last to which Chief Westerman responded that it was about a month ago at Hanapepe Station. Chair Pro Tent Fukushima asked the Chief if in addition to 911 for Kauai Fire Commission Open Session August 6, 2012 Page 5 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION emergency services could the public contact the stations directly to which the Chief said yes, that the phone numbers were listed in the phone book and anybody from the public could cell. Chair Pro Tern, Fukushima asked if Discussion: no action required at the point of the brownout were there at least 2 people at the station to which the Chief responded affirmatively. Chief's Monthly ■ Overview for the Month of June 2012 and pertinent updates Report • Budget report as of June 3a, 20 t2 Chief Westerman highlighted some ofhis activities: The Motorola status update meeting which is the complete changeover of the Motorola radio network going from analog;to digital. The Chief reported that they have installed all the equipment in the dispatch center•, it has been tested, and phase 11 starts in January with portables and mobile;radio upgrades. Operations Bureau: The Chief reported there were no real significant changes in the number of calls frorn the Operations Bureau report. fie reported that 2 of the apparatus had air conditioners successfully repaired. He also reported that Engine 7 had its engine replaced which is the one that broke down in Koke`e during the recent fire. The Chief said they have since been notified that the engine year and model is in a class action lawsuit with Ford. He said they have discussed this with the attorneys and decided to forgo being part of the lawsuit. Chief Westerman reported that the amount of brush fires for this time of year was typical other than the 2 fires up in Koke`e. The Chief pointed out that Station 5 in Kalaheo was a good example of how staff was managed during the fire to support the State in managing the fire as well as keeping the station staffed as well. Kaua'i Fire Commission Open Session August 6, 2012 Page 6 ACTION The Training Bureau: The Chief reported that much of the staff has received their mobile data training. They also had the Makani Pahili exercise and TriEx assisted in the training of new dispatchers. The Prevention Bureau: Chief Westerman reported there was only I fire investigation for the month of June with the average annually being approximately 17 to 25 investigations per year, The Ocean Safety Bureau: Chief Westerman highlighted the Jr. Lifeguard training during the month of June. Fle clarified that the drowning statistic is a June statistic and not July. He reported that they were the champions for the 9"'time in a row for the Jr. Lifeguard program on Oahu. Fire Administration: The Chief reported little change other than the promotions that were approved by the Mayor at the end of July. The promotions will take effect September 1", 2 firefighter Ill's, and I firefighter III will be promoted effective January Is'. He also reported there were 2 ongoing workman's comp. investigations on Water Safety officers. Mr. Nagano asked Chief Wcsten-nan regarding the workman's comp. whether the Water Safety officers were working or not at this time to which the Chief responded they are currently on workman's compensation and not working. Mr. Nagano asked how that affected staffing at the various posts throughout the island to which Chief Westerman responded that at times it did affect staff but that the overtime was held to a minimum. He confirmed there were 2 officers out long term, 2 officers out short term, and 2 were out for injury. lie did say 2 had returned to work. The Chief said when all 6 were out it was difficult on staff and they did use overtime to cover all the shifts however since the return of the 2 officers from personal injury the situation has d. Kaua`i Fire Commission Open Session August 6, 2012 Page 7 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Chair Pro-Tern Fukushima asked the Chief if it was normal to have that many officers out throughout a fiscal year to which the Chief responded. affirmatively. The Chief said the Water Safety officers had the most injuries due to the nature of their job. Budget deport: Chief Westerman reported that this is the last month of the fiscal year however it is not the end of the year total. 'There is a 13`x'payroll period and all of the expenses from June fret rolled up and all of the last minute expenses and encumbrances. He pointed out in the report that the budgeted but not expended amount is $1,265,797 and of that they have expended another$580,000, so at the end of the year there will be $580,000 going back to the general fund. The Chief explained that last year's budget was short and that this year's budget had a surplus. fie added that the department was able to keep overtime to a minimum and so with their efforts and the surplus they will end up with approximately half a.million dollars being returned back to the general fund. Mr. Croydon asked the Chief if the extra cash that was built into the budget was done in such a way as to cover for the contingencies of workman's comp. to which the Chief replied that workman's comp. was actually budgeted every year at 1 dollar. The Chief explained there is no way to Mr. Miranda moved to accept the Chief's know what those costs will tie. fie said that UTF as well as C)PED are monthly report for June 2012 and order it filed. expenses that are estimated and in fact most of the surplus this year is from Mr. Fuertes seconded the motion. the C)PED account due to an overestimation of expenses. Motion carried 5.0 Executive Deputy County Attorney Mauna Kca Trask read Session the Hawaii Revised Statues as described on the agenda that would take the Board into Executive Session for item ES-7 and ES-4: KFC 2012-09 Mr. Croydon moved t(I c into Executive KaUa`i Fire Commission. Open Session AUgUSt 6, 2012 Page SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Session at 2:40 p.m. Mr. Fuertes seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0 Return to Open Ratify C'onimission actions taken in the Executive Session for item: Mr. Croydon moved to ratify the Commission's Session ES-7 and ES-4 KFC 2012-09 actions taken in the Executive Session. Mr. Miranda seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0 Announcements Next Meeting: Monday, September 4, 2012 --2:00 p.m., Mo'ikeha Building, Meetin Room 2A/B Adjournment Mr. Croydon moved to adjourn the meeting; at 3:15 p.m. Mr. Miranda seconded the motion. Motion carried 5:0 Submitted by: Reviewed and Approved by: L,ani A oot, Staff Support Clerk Jesse, Fukushima, Chair Pro Tern ( ) Approved as is. ( x, ) Approved with annendi-nents. See minutes of____x9/4/12 ___meeting.