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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5-6-2013 KFC Open Min APPROVEDCOUNTY OF KAUAI Minutes of Meeting OPEN SESSION Anuroved as Circulated 6/3/2013 Board/Committee: I FIRE COMMISSION Meeting Date May 6, 2013 Location Mo`ikeha Building, Meeting Room 2A/213 Start of Meeting: 2:30 p.m. End of Meeting: 3:47 p.m. Present Chair Jimmy Miranda; Vice Chair Jesse Fukushima; Members: Savita Agarwal; Heidy Huddy- Yamamoto Also: Fire Chief Robert Westerman; Deputy County Attorney Mauna Kea Trask; Boards & Commissions Office Staff: Support Clerk Cherisse Zaima; Administrative Aide Teresa Tamura; Administrator Paula Morikami Excused Eugene Jimenez; Dan Brown Absent Ad SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Prior to the start of the meeting, Council Administrative Assistant Eddie Topenio gave the Oath of Office to member Heidy Huddy- Yamamoto Call To Order Chair Miranda called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m. with 4 members present, constituting a Chair Miranda welcomed new member Heidy Hudd - Yamamoto quorum. Approval of ■ Regular Open Session Minutes of April 1, 2013 Mr. Fukushima moved to approve the minutes as Minutes circulated. Ms. Agarwal seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 Chiefs Monthly ■ Overview for the month of March 2013 and pertinent updates Report ■ Budget Report as of March 31, 2013 Chief Westerman highlighted: - State Fire Council held in Hilo finally had full council again. Former PMRF Fire Chief Manny Neves, has been newly appointed to Honolulu Fire Department - SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response) grant telecommunications meeting with FEMA; KFD did not receive grant this go-around. However, FEMA provided some feedback and Kauai Fire Commission Open Session May 6, 2013 Page 2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION suggestions for improvement on the grant KFD submitted. - CERT kick -off potluck was held at Lydgate Park At the request of Mr. Fukushima, Chief Westerman provided a brief explanation of the SAFER grant for the new members of the Commission. Operations Bureau Apparatus status shows that just about every vehicle is mission capable with a few minor things. The second reserve engine is out of service and no more money will be put into that vehicle since there is one additional engine on reserve. Additionally, one more engine has been budgeted for in the upcoming fiscal year which will push an older engine down into reserve status. Chief Westerman highlighted the following station updates: - Station 2, Rescue 3 and Air 1 short-haul rescue at Secret Falls. - 2 fires for the month - Abandoned house in Weliweli and stovetop fire in District 5. - Driver's Simulator in use at Station 4; having the simulator go from station to station to train firefighters during their shifts greatly reduces overtime costs. - Station 8 relocated to Hanalei due to flooding and closure of Hanalei bridge Training Bureau - Recruit class currently in training - Driver Simulator Training for Stations 4, 5, 6 & 7 - MDT (Mobile Data Terminal) training - Hazmat refresher training Kauai Fire Commission Open Session May 6, 2013 Page 3 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Prevention Bureau - ADU (Additional Dwelling Unit) permit applications - Photovoltaic Systems permits Mr. Fukushima asked whether there have been an increase in ADU's, especially considering the possibility of the Department of Water's increasing the Facilities Reserve Charge to approximately $17,000 per meter. Is KFD gearing up for a potential influx of ADU applications? Chief Westerman stated that he hadn't given it much thought, but he will have the Prevention Bureau look into it. Ocean Safety Bureau Chief Westerman noted that the drowning statistics show a total of 11 for the year and that upon discussing this with both Chair Miranda and Eddie Topenio of the County Clerk's office, they would like to try and define what will be considered a drowning. Currently, the main reason for classifying a drowning as such is based upon the coroner's interpretation of "dead in the water equals drowning ". However, there may be a secondary cause such as heart attack. Over the next 6 months to a year, they will attempt to come up with some better qualifiers to see if it will affect the drowning rate. Mr. Fukushima noted that he attended the Fire Department's budget hearing at County Council and wanted to thank Chief Westerman and Deputy Chief Blalock for a sound presentation. Based on what was presented, Mr. Fukushima stated that he doesn't see the need for the budget to be further reduced and feels that the Council seemed satisfied with what was presented to them. Chief Westerman provided a brief explanation of the Fire Department's budget worksheet for new Commission members. Kauai Fire Commission Open Session May 6, 2013 Page 4 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Chair Miranda requested a motion to accept the Chief's monthly report and Mr. Fukushima moved to accept the reports. Ms. Budget report. Agarwal seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0. Business KFC 2013 -09 Presentation by Chief Westerman on KFD initiatives to provide ocean safety education and drowning prevention (a) Summary report on Intervention Initiatives by Ocean Safety Bureau to Prevent People From Entering Dangerous Ocean Conditions Chief Westerman provided an overview of the written report. In response to Ms. Huddy - Yamamoto's question regarding the Task Force of Beach and Water Safety Act 190 Session Laws of Hawaii, Attorney Trask explained the level of immunity granted to the County Lifeguards and gave examples of what would qualify as a situation in which immunity would or would not be granted. Ms. Huddy- Yamamoto asked what 10 beaches are covered by County Lifeguards to which Chief Westerman responded Ke'e, Ha'ena Beach Park, Hanalei Pine Trees, Hanalei Pavilion, Anahola, Kealia, Lydgate, Po`ipu, Salt Pond and Kekaha. Ms. Agarwal commented that at Kekaha the distance from the lifeguard tower to the water is quite far and it will be difficult for a lifeguard to run to a rescue. Chief Westerman explained that Kekaha tower is equipped with an ATV for that purpose. He further explained the reason that a tower may be set so far back from the water is due to tidal flow of water that may come several yards onto the beach. ATV's may also be provided at towers that cover extensive sections of beach; each tower is provided equipment based on its individual needs. Kauai Fire Commission Open Session May 6, 2013 Page 5 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION In response to Ms. Agarwal's question, Chief Westerman explained that for many years, they have tried to get the airlines to play an ocean safety video on the planes. He mentioned that for a few years they did show a video done by the Deputy Chief in Honolulu that wasn't necessarily an ocean safety video, but touched on some beach safety issues. However, it only played on Hawaiian Airlines and for only a short time. In more recent times, KFD tried to put in for Legislative action to force the airlines to show the video in- flight; it ended up as a Resolution to recommend but isn't mandated by the State. Ms. Agarwal asked what can the Commission do to mandate it, to which Attorney Trask explained that at the County level, they cannot mandate anything at the State level; however, they can submit letters or even vote to send a representative to testify at a hearing on behalf of the Commission. Ms. Morikami noted that the Fire Department is very diligent in tracking bills and submitting testimony on bills that relate to their department. There was discussion on how quickly the Legislative session moves once it opens and the window for providing testimony is often times very small. Chief Westerman offered to provide the Commission with a list of bills that they monitor and provide updates at meetings. He further noted that it would be helpful for the Commission to provide testimony for bills the Fire Department supports, such as Act 190. Chair Miranda requested a motion to receive the summary report provided Mr. Fukushima moved to receive the report. Ms. by Chief Westerman. Agarwal seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0. Kauai Fire Commission Open Session May 6, 2013 Page 6 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION KFC 2013 -10 Kauai County Council request for discussion on recover expenses as outlined in Section 6 -13.3 of the Kauai County Code 1987, as amended Chief Westerman explained that during the Fire Department's budget session, one of the questions asked related to the charging or recovering of expenses for services. He read from sections of both the Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 137-2-Reimbursement and the Kauai County Code Section 6 -1.3 Recovery of Expenses which relates to that issue. Chief Westerman recognizes that there is an avenue in which to recover expenses from a rescue event and shared a letter he wrote to the County Attorney requesting a meeting to determine recoverability. Mr. Fukushima stated that it is important to obtain very accurate reports from the rescue personnel to help in determining what would be considered a recoverable expense, further suggesting the use of video cameras to enhance such reports. Chief Westerman agreed and reiterated that would be the reason for having the discussion with the County Attorneys to find out what information they would need to determine that. Mr. Miranda asked who would determine whether a rescue is a false alarm, or otherwise considered reimbursable. Attorney Trask referenced Kauai County Code Section 6 -1.3 that states expenses that are reasonable, necessary and allocable to the rescue operation. Recoverable expenses shall not include normal expenditures that are incurred in the course of providing what are traditional local services and responsibilities such as routine firefighting. He also referenced Section 6 -1.2 which states: Any and all persons who, because of gross negligence, Kauai Fire Commission Open Session May 6, 2013 Page 7 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION cause or contribute to placement of an individual or individuals in a situation which result in rescue operations shall be liable for all recoverable expenses. Attorney Trask further mentioned that this can be very a complex issue and if they are considering pursuing this, there is a lot of work to be done to ensure they do things right, especially considering the large expense associated with rescues. He offered to have discussion on it with the Commission in Executive Session at upcoming meetings and a request was made to have it put on the agenda as an on -going item. KFC 2013 -11 Selection of Commission member to attend 2013 Fire Rescue International conference Chief Westerman gave a brief explanation of the conference which is being held in Chicago this year and explained that in the past, two (2) commissioners would attend. However, due to this year's budget cuts, they Mr. Fukushima moved to nominate Mr. Miranda will only be able to send one (1) commissioner. He further mentioned that it to attend this year's conference. Ms. Huddy- is an international conference and was attended by at least 15 countries last Yamamoto seconded the motion. Motion carried year. 4:0. KFC 2013 -12 Discussion on KFD's budget process for Fiscal Year 2014- 2015 (b) Kauai Fire Department 2013 Budget Presentation Chief Westerman stated the importance of starting to work on the budget for next fiscal year now since the Commission only meets once a month. He opened up discussion for suggestions on what the Commission feels could benefit the department that should be included in the upcoming budget. At the request of Mr. Fukushima, Chief Westerman went over the schedule and timeline for budget presentations and the various steps in the process. Kauai Fire Commission Open Session May 6, 2013 Page 8 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Ms. Huddy- Yamamoto noted that she read that KFD has been short a clerk for 4 years. Chief Westerman explained that there is a dollar funded position for a clerk that has been in the budget for four years, which was transferred to Human Resources; KFD is currently trying to get that position back. There is another recently vacant clerk position that they are currently trying to reallocate and fill. In addition, KFD is requesting three more staff positions and two Assistant Chief positions in Operations. Chief Westerman further noted that they are thinking about taking one of their vacant lifeguard positions and reallocate it to a staff position as a temporary measure so they can get the coverage they need without increasing the amount of personnel. Ms. Huddy- Yamamoto expressed her surprise and concern at how difficult it seems for KFD to hire office staff, having only a Secretary. Chief Westerman clarified that there are four other office staff, two account clerks that do payroll and budgeting; an accountant that does all the purchasing; an Administrative Officer that manages the office staff. Announcements Next Meeting: Monday, June 3, 2013 — 2:00 p.m., Mo`ikeha Building, Meeting Room 2AB Adjournment Mr. Fukushima moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Huddy- Yamamoto seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0. The meeting was adjourned at 3:47 p.m. Submitted by: Cherisse Zaima, Support Clerk O Approved as is. O Approved with amendments. See minutes of Reviewed and Approved by: meeting. Jimmy Miranda, Vice Chair