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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-07-17 FC Approved Minutes-DA COUNTY OF KAUAI Minutes of Meeting OPEN SESSION Board/Committee: Kaua‘i Fire Commission Meeting Date August 7, 2017 Location Mo`ikeha Building – Meeting Room 2A/B Start of Meeting: 2:00 p.m. End of Meeting:2:35 p.m. Present Chair Michael Martinez; Members: Alfredo Garces Jr., Linda Kaauwai-Iwamoto, Chad Pacheco and Jimmy Miranda (arrived at 2:27 p.m. Also present: Board & Commissions Office Staff: Support Clerk Mercedes Omo; Administrator Paula Morikami; Office of the County Attorney: Deputy County Attorney Teresa Tumbaga; Fire Department: Fire Chief Robert Westerman, Deputy Fire Chief Kilipaki Vaughan and Chief’s Secretary Eve Domingcil. Excused Vice Chair Thomas Nizo Absent SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Call To Order Chair Martinez called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. with four (4) Commissioners present constituting a quorum. Approval of Minutes Regular Open Session Minutes of July 3, 2017. Mr. Garces moved to approve the meeting minutes as circulated. Mr. Pacheco seconded the motion. The motion carried 4:0. Recap of the 2017 Fire Rescue Conference that was held on July 26 -29 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fire Chief Westerman shared that the FRI provides a variety of career development sessions for virtually all ranks and positons in fire services and although his focus was on Emergency Medical Services (EMS), he stumbled onto a couple of intriguing things like active shooter and toxic work environment. Deputy Fire Chief Vaughan shared that he had an opportunity to participate in an eight (8) hour course called the “Chief’s Edge”. Because the course was very productive and it brought forth a lot of questions about succession planning, diversity and dealing with staffing issues, he’s looking at possibly bringing the course to Kaua‘i to be part of the 2018 Hawai‘i Fire Chiefs Conference program. In regard to the FRI, his main focus was on the Executive Chief Officer I Program which Kaua‘i Fire Commission Regular Open Session Meeting Minutes of August 7, 2017. Page 2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION covered a variety of topics like mergers, acquisitions, emergency medical services and all aspects dealing with the medical marijuana industry. Chair Martinez stated that while at the conference, he had the opportunity to attend a couple of sessions that were both educational and an eye opener, but there was one class on Recruitment of Volunteer Firefighters and the Retention of Firefighters that stood apart from the rest. He got to hear firsthand from volunteer firefighters on some of the challenges they have to face in terms of time-off, time spent with their families, money and benefits, and what they have to do to raise money to keep the program alive. In regard to retention, one of the main issues was communication and the lack of it. He explained that some fire departments in the country are having problems funneling information through the appropriate channels and as a result, a lot of the firefighters are leaving the department because they didn’t know or realize there were opportunities available to them that could help advance their job position, unlike the Kaua‘i Fire Department. Ms. Kaauwai-Iwamoto commented that as a former Fire Commissioner and now a current Fire Commissioner, she had the opportunity to attend two (2) FRI with Fire Chief Westerman; one in Denver and the other in Dallas. What warmed her heart was the love and respect shown for Fire Chief Westerman by each person she came into contact with. She then asked about the extent of the Fire Department’s role in dealing with medical marijuana. Deputy Fire Chief Vaughan explained that relative to the Fire Department’s role when it comes medical marijuana, the Department will be in charge of making sure that water is readily available, as well as review the plans to make sure the path is big enough for the engines to pass through to get to the facility in the event a fire breaks out. He shared that the city of Denver is playing an important role because they are way ahead of the game and even have a couple of symposiums called the Denver Marijuana Management Symposium and they go through everything from public policy to regulation to fire plan review. Kaua‘i Fire Commission Regular Open Session Meeting Minutes of August 7, 2017. Page 3 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION With no further comments, Chair Martinez move to the Chief’s monthly reports. Chief’s Monthly Reports for June 1. Fire Commission Reports 2. Fiscal Report 3. Daily Flight Hours and Alarm Data 4. Quarterly update on the 2017 Fire Department’s Goals 5. Commendation Letter dated June 26, 2017 from Jen Chahanovich, FACHE to Justin Shinn, FFIII, AEMT, EMS Fire Trainer for the Kaua‘i Fire Department 6. Chief’s announcements and other pertinent updates Fire Chief Westerman gave a brief summary of his reports, including an update on the Department’s goals. In regard to presentations, Chair Martinez asked Chief Westerman if he could inform him via email as to the date and time of the presentations because he’s very interested and would like to get involved with what’s happening in the Kaua‘i Fire Department other than attending the monthly meetings to which Fire Chief Westerman replied absolutely. With no further questions, Chair Martinez called for a motion to receive the Chief’s monthly reports. At 2:27 p.m. Mr. Miranda arrived. Ms. Kaauwai-Iwamoto moved to receive the Chief’s monthly reports. Mr. Pacheco seconded the motion. The motion carried 5:0. Business KFC 2017-02 Report from the Permitted Interaction Group (PIG) on the criteria for the Fire Chief’s new job description which will be instrumental in the recruiting and hiring of a new Fire Chief in the future. (On-going) Kaua‘i Fire Commission Regular Open Session Meeting Minutes of August 7, 2017. Page 4 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Mr. Miranda stated that the PIG is still working on putting the criteria into the document so there’s nothing to report. Chair Martinez asked what is delaying the process to which Mr. Miranda replied the document should be ready next month. Announcements Next meeting – 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 at the Mo’ikeha Building, Meeting Room 2A/2B. Adjournment With no further business to conduct, Chair Martinez called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Miranda moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Kaauwai-Iwamoto seconded the motion. The motion carried 5:0. At 2:35 p.m. the meeting adjourned. Submitted by: __________________________________ Reviewed and Approved by: _________________________________________ Mercedes Omo, Staff Support Clerk Michael Martinez, Chair (x ) Approved as circulated on September 5, 2017 ( ) Approved as amended. See minutes of ___________ meeting.