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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFC 03-05-18 Approved Open Session Minutes daCOUNTY OF KAUAI Minutes of Meeting OPEN SESSION Board/Committee: Kauai Fire Commission Meeting Date March 5, 2018 Location Mo'ikeha Building — Meeting Room 2A/B Start of Meeting: 2:00 p.m. End of Meeting: 3:32 p.m. Present Chair Thomas Nizo; Vice Chair Chad Pacheco; Commissioners: Alfredo Garces Jr., Linda Kaauwai-Iwamoto, Clifton Miranda, Michael Martinez and Alfred Levinthol. Also present: Boards & Commissions Office Staff. Support Clerk Mercedes Omo, Administrator Nicholas Courson; Office of the County Attorney: Deputy County Attorney Teresa Tumbaga; Fire Department: Fire Chief Robert Westerman, Deputy Fire Chief Kilipaki Vaughan and Secretary Debby Gatioan. SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Call To Order Chair Nizo called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. with seven Commissioners present constituting a quorum. Approval of Regular Open Session Meeting Minutes of February 5, 2018. Mr. Martinez moved to approve the Minutes meeting minutes as amended. Mr. Mr. Garces requested that the minutes be amended to reflect Mr. Pacheco as the Miranda seconded the motion. The Commission's Vice Chair and not Mr. Martinez. Staff acknowledged Mr. Garces' motion carried 7:0. request and will make the correction. With no further comments or corrections to the meeting minutes, Chair Nizo called for a motion to approve the meeting minutes as amended. Chiefs Monthly 1. Fire Commission Reports Reports for the 2. Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Budget Report January 2018 3. Daily Flight Hours and Alarm Data 4. Chief s announcements and other pertinent updates Fire Chief Westerman gave an overview of his monthly reports, highlighting his meeting with the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Planning Department regarding the Po`ipu lifeguard tower, the recent Promotional Pinning and Recruit Class Graduation that involved 22 Firefighters and 2 Ocean Safety Personnel, the completion of the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) 24-Hour Basic Training Classes, his appearance before the County Council to accept a monetary donation from the Kauai Kauai Fire Commission Regular Open Session Meeting Minutes of March 5, 2018 Page 2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Lifeguard Association to purchase a new truck for the Ocean Safety Bureau personnel to utilize, and the false alarm missile alert after action review meeting. Mr. Martinez thanked the CERT for their hard work in putting on a series of classes in the Lihu`e area to educate the community volunteers about disaster preparedness and providing hands-on training in basic disaster response skills, especially the firefighters for putting on a great presentation. Operations Bureau There were a total of 3,664 calls for service in fiscal year 2017-2018 compared to last fiscal year of 3,439 calls for service; a difference of 200 more calls. Equipment & Apparatus Status • Engine No. 5 was taken out of service due to an air leak and taking its place is Engine No. 1. • Station No. 5 met with No Ka Oi Nursery to figure out access capability before any of their employees falls down and gets injured. January Training Report On March 1, the 14-member recruit class will be starting their training. The classes will be broken up into two segments; half will be doing EMS (Emergency Medical Service) training and the other half will be doing Fire Operations Training. After they are all done with the training, they will switch over and continue on. Fire Prevention Bureau There were a total of 179 fire prevention calls ranging from fire investigations, permit applications, certificate of occupancy inspections, witness acceptance tests, telephone inquiries and miscellaneous activities. Kauai Fire Commission Regular Open Session Meeting Minutes of March 5, 2018 Page 3 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Ocean Safety Bureau • The bureau conducted OSO interviews and accompanied Fire Chief Westerman to a County Council meeting regarding the Po`ipu Tower. Apparently, the County Council had concerns about the added liability the County will incur by having the Po`ipu lifeguard tower built on state land. As part of its agreement with the state to allow the tower to be built on state land, the County opted to release the state from all liability. • Five Supervisors attended 40 hours of supervisory training. • There were 29 rescues in the month of January and 1 assist. • Roving Patrol conducted one Jet Ski rescue and one Jet Ski assist. • There was one reported drowning in the month of January. Fiscal Report As of January 31, 2018, the Department has expended 58% ($17,413,046.99) of its original budget of $31,629,948.00. Daily Flight Hours and Alarm Data There were a total of 8.2 hours; 5.3 of alarm hours search & rescue, 1.4 of fire, 0.2 of administrative hours, 1.0 of training hours for search & rescue, and .03 of maintenance hours. Letters of Appreciation There were five letters of appreciation that were received. • The Salvation Army Hanapepe Corps wrote to thank the Hanapepe Fire Station `Ohana for taking the time to help them set up for their annual Thanksgiving luncheon. • A lady named Dawn wrote to thank the firefighters who were with her at the trail for keeping her calm while she waited to hear from her daughter who went hiking on the Nu'aloalo Trail. Kauai Fire Commission Regular Open Session Meeting Minutes of March 5, 2018 Page 4 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION • Three members of Hawaii Alpha Delta Kappa wrote separate letters thanking the Lihu`e Firefighters for keeping them safe during a beach outing. Chief s announcements Deputy Fire Chief Vaughan made the following announcements: • The next Promotional Pinning Ceremony for three Firefighter I1's will be held on Friday, March 23, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. at the Mo'ikeha Building — Rotunda. • On Monday, April 30, 2018, the Fire Department will be having a blessing and rededication ceremony for Fire Station No. 5 in Kalaheo. The event will be held Mr. Miranda moved to receive the from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Chief s Monthly Reports for January as presented. Ms. Kaauwai-Iwamoto With no further comments or questions, Chair Nizo called for a motion to receive the seconded the motion. The motion carried 7:0. Chief s Monthly Reports as presented. KFC 2018-03 Discussion and decision -making on selecting two Commissioners to attend the Annual Fire Rescue International (FRI) Conference & Expo from August 8 — 11, 2018 at the KaX Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Martinez suggested that those who have not attended any of these conferences should get first priority if they choose to go. Mr. Garces stated that his work schedule is open and he would like to attend the conference. Ms. Kaauwai-Iwamoto stated that she would like to attend the conference as well. Vice Chair Pacheco stated that he would like to attend the conference as well. Mr. Martinez stated that from what he understood, the budget would only allow two commissioners to attend the conference. Chair Nizo stated that as the current Chair and former Chair, he had the opportunity to attend three of the conferences so he thought it would be appropriate for the Vice Chair to attend the conference this year. Kauai Fire Commission Regular Open Session Meeting Minutes of March 5, 2018 Page 5 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Mr. Martinez stated that he agrees with Chair Nizo that Vice Chair Pacheco should be the one to go, but moving forward, he wants to make sure that those who have not attended conferences should have an opportunity to do so in the future. Ms. Kaauwai-Iwamoto graciously opted out to allow Vice Chair Pacheco to attend the conference. With no further discussion, Chair Nizo called for a motion. Mr. Martinez moved to select Vice Chair Pacheco and Mr. Garces to represent the Kauai Fire Commission at the 2018 Fire Rescue International Conference & Expo in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Miranda seconded the motion. The motion carried 7:0. KFC 2018-04 Discussion and decision -making on selecting new goals from the Fire Department's strategic initiatives and goals the Commission would like to monitor for calendar year 2018. Chair Nizo asked why the initiatives and goals have their own Steering Committee. Fire Chief Westerman explained that the Steering Committee is there to make strategic decisions concerning a specific goal in terms of which will be realized and which will not. The Committee will also be responsible for managing and monitoring each goal, which means that it will control the realization of that particular goal at a strategic level, verify its coherence with established aims, and keep an established frame involving costs and deadlines. Chair Nizo stated that he would like to select Goal 4.2 Expand revenue enhancement opportunities for the Kauai Fire Department because in looking at the report and all of the work the Steering Committee has done since 2016, in order to get more revenue for rescues and other departmental services outside of using taxpayer's money, it is quite remarkable. Fire Chief Westerman stated that could be a goal he could report on in the future. Kauai Fire Commission Regular Open Session Meeting Minutes of March 5, 2018 Page 6 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Mr. Martinez asked, relative to Goal 2.1 Initiate improvements in the hiring, probation period and promotion process, how often the Administration writes JPR's (Job Performance Reviews) for firefighters. Fire Chief Westerman replied that each firefighter receives an annual job performance report, and as part of the Deputy Chief s new initiative with the Boot Camp Program, they added a module to help the supervisors learn how to write performance reports to make it more beneficial to the employee. It will not be used as a disciplinary measure, it will be use as a measuring tool to help the employee do better. Mr. Martinez asked if he could add the goal to the list to which Fire Chief Westerman replied yes, and that he would compile the goals into one format, then at the next meeting the Commissioners can review the list and decide which initiatives and goals it would like to monitor. He pointed out that relative to Goal 6.1, he doesn't think it would do any good to monitor it because the Department, for the most part, keeps all of its vehicles in top shape and there are no big issues. Therefore, he would like to recommend to the Commission to take it off the list of goals. The Commissioners agreed. Mr. Garces stated that he noticed that the goals and initiatives are until the year 2019. He asked what happens after 2019, does the Department have any plans to start working on its new goals and initiatives, or is it currently in the works to which Fire Chief Westerman replied that the Department is starting to work on its new initiatives and goals, and have plans to take it to the next budget year into 2019. Once there, the Department will start work on its 2019 budget moving forward. Mr. Martinez recapped the goals and initiatives the Commission has selected and retained: • Goal 2.1 Initiate improvements to the hiring, probation period and promotion period. Initiative 2.1.3 Implement written job performance reviews (JPRs) for firefighter and ocean safety recruits at least every three months during probation. For firefighter recruits, conduct a review after each rotation. Kauai Fire Commission Regular Open Session Meeting Minutes of March 5, 2018 Page 7 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION • Goal 2.2 Provide professional development opportunities to build leadership and job related skills. Initiative 2.2.1 Develop a plan for leadership succession at all levels and for all bureaus and administrative staff, including training needed. • Goal 4.2 Expand revenue enhancement opportunities for Kauai Fire Department. 4.2.1 Initiative Research new public and private grants. • Goal 4.1 Maintain 80% of staffing on a daily basis. • Goal 5.1 Maintain an average response time of six minutes 90% of the time. With no further discussion, Chair Nizo moved on to the announcements. Announcement Next regular monthly meeting — 2 p.m. on Monday, April 2, 2018, at the Mo'ikeha Building, Meeting Room 2A/2B. Executive Pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes §92-4 and §92-5 (a) and (2) and (4), the purpose of At 2:37 p.m., Vice Chair Pacheco Session this Executive Session is for the Commission to consult with its attorney as it relates to read the Hawaii Revised Statutes the hiring process of selecting a new Fire Chief, and to consult with its attorney on to bring the meeting into KFC 2018-002 questions and issues pertaining to the Commission's powers, duties, privileges, Executive Session. immunities, and liabilities as they may relate to this agenda item. (On -going) KFC 2018-003 Pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes §92-4, §92-5 (a) (4), §92-9 (a) (1-4) and (b), the Vice Chair Pacheco moved to purpose of this Executive Session is for the Commission to approve the Executive enter into Executive Session. Ms. Session meeting minutes of February 5, 2018, and to consult with its attorney on issues Kaauwai-Iwamoto seconded the pertaining to the Commission's powers, duties, privileges, immunities, and/or liabilities motion. The motion carried 7:0. as they may relate to this agenda item. At 2:38 p.m. the Commissioners entered into Executive Session. Return to Open At 3:31 p.m. the Commissioner's reconvened in Open Session. Chair Nizo called for a Mr. Miranda moved to ratify the Session to ratify motion to ratify the actions taken in Executive Session. actions taken in Executive Session. the actions taken Vice Chair Pacheco seconded the in Executive motion. The motion carried 7:0. Session ES KFC 2018-002: (On -going) A request will be sent to invite the HR Director to the Commission's Kauai Fire Commission Regular Open Session Meeting Minutes of March 5, 2018 Page 8 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION meeting in April to provide insight as to what the term "administrative capacity" means. ES KFC 2018-003: A motion carried 7:0 to approve the Executive Session Meeting Minutes of February 5, 2018 as circulated. Adjournment With no further business to conduct, Chair Nizo called for a motion to adjourn the Vice Chair Pacheco moved to meeting. adjourn the meeting. Ms. Kaauwai-Iwamoto seconded the motion. The motion carried 7:0. At 3:32 p.m. the meeting adjourned. Submitted by: Mercedes Omo, Staff Support Clerk (x) Approved as circulated on: April 2, 2018 () Approved as amended. See minutes of _ meeting. Reviewed and Approved by: Thomas Nizo, Chair