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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021_0405_KFC_Minutes_Open_Approved_Redacted.pdf COUNTY OF KAUAI Minutes of Meeting OPEN SESSION Board/Commission: FIRE COMMISSION Meeting Date: April 5, 2021 Location Teleconference via Microsoft Teams Start of Meeting: 2:00 p.m. End of Meeting: 3:13 p.m. Start of Meeting: 3:23 p.m. End of Meeting: 3:42 p.m. Present Chair Jennie Chahanovich. Vice Chair Michael Martinez (entered meeting at 3:14 p.m.). Commissioners: Linda Kaauwai-Iwamoto, Alfred Levinthol (left meeting at 3:13 p.m. and entered back into meeting at 3:23 p.m.) and Chad Pacheco (left at 2:47 p.m.) Deputy County Attorney Jenna Tatsey. Fire Department: Chief Steven Goble (left meeting at 3:13 p.m. and entered back into meeting at 3:20 p.m.), Deputy Chief Michael Gibson and Secretary Soncy Tamashiro (left meeting at 3:13 p.m. and entered back into meeting at 3:18 p.m.). Office of Boards and Commissions Staff: Administrator Ellen Ching and Commission Support Clerk Sandra Muragin. Excused Commissioner Alfredo Garces Absent Commissioner Thomas Nizo SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Chair Chahanovich, Commissioner Kaauwai-Iwamoto, Commissioner Pacheco, Deputy County Attorney Tatsey, Fire Chief Goble, Deputy Chief Gibson, Secretary Tamashiro, Administrator Ching and Commission Support Clerk Muragin were logged onto Microsoft Teams by video. Commissioner Levinthol and Public Person (left at 3:13pm) called into Microsoft Teams and entered the meeting by audio. Call To Order In Open Session /Roll Call to Ascertain Quorum Chair Chahanovich called the Open Session meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. and requested a roll call. Commission support clerk Sandra Muragin verified attendance by roll call and requested a verbal response of present or here; Commissioner Garces was excused. Commissioner Kaauwai-Iwamoto disconnected from the meeting at 2:00 p.m. Commissioner Levinthol replied here. Commissioner Nizo no response. Commissioner Pacheco replied present. Vice Chair Martinez no response. Fire Commission Open Session April 5, 2021 Page 2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Commissioner Kaauwai-Iwamoto entered back into the meeting at 2:01 p.m. Commissioner Kaauwai-Iwamoto replied present. Chair Chahanovich replied present. Deputy County Attorney Tatsey replied present. Fire Chief Steven Goble entered the meeting at 2:01 p.m. Fire Chief Goble replied present. Deputy Chief Gibson replied here. Secretary Tamashiro replied here. Administrator Ching replied present. Commission Support Clerk Muragin replied here. Quorum was established with four commissioners present. Chair’s Comments/Anno uncements Including But Not Limited To: Next Meeting: Monday, May 3 , 2021 – 2:00 p.m., Teleconference by Microsoft Teams Public Testimony Chair Chahanovich announced if anyone from the public wanted to present a testimony. Hearing no response Chair moved to the next agenda item. Approval of the Open Session Minutes of March 1, 2021 Meeting Ms. Kaauwai Iwamoto moved to approve the Open Session minutes of March 1, 2021, as circulated. Mr. Levinthol seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0. Fire Chief Monthly Reports, Fire Chief Report for the Month of February 2021, dated March 25, 2021. a) Chief of the Department b) Fire Operations Fire Commission Open Session April 5, 2021 Page 3 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Pertinent Updates / Announcements c) Training Bureau d) Prevention Bureau e) Ocean Safety Bureau f) Lifeguard Tower/Roving Patrol Updates Kaua‘i Fire Department Appropriation Balance – FY 2020-2021 as of February 28, 2021. Fire Chief Steven Goble reviewed the March 25, 2021 report and appropriation balance report as of February 28, 2021 with the Commission (on file). The process, the preparation and the presentation of the departments 2021-2022 budget was the primary focus and priority; 1. Completed presentation of the 2021-2022 budget to the full County Council 2. Kē‘ē Beach lifeguard staffing, emergency response capabilities, health and safety of fire crews and service delivery were concerns expressed by Council members. It also continued to be a high priority area for the department. 3. Final budget would be completed in mid-May. Expressed appreciation for the time and feedback received during the one on one meetings with each commissioner. The meetings strengthened confidence and trust between the commissioners and Fire Chief and allowed both parties the opportunity to get to know each other better and value the work they perform. Kaua‘i Life Guard Association Board meeting announced it would start the keiki and junior life guard program this summer. It would follow COVID-19 limitations with a proposed 50% of normal sign ups accepted into the program. State Fire Council supported a bill going through the Legislature that would replace the state’s certification standards for non-ambulance staff to the National EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) certification and a illegal fireworks bill that would toughen penalties Fire Commission Open Session April 5, 2021 Page 4 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION and enforcement. Outcome on the status of the SAFER grant award could be announced as early as the end of May. The 12 vacant positions were contingent on being subsidized by this grant and not receiving a response could delay recruitment. The recent job posting showed a drop in the number of applications and it was speculated to be caused by travel restrictions. Of the 145 applicants, which included a couple of transfers from the outer-islands, 43 passed the first round of written exams and of that only 16 candidates passed the second round of the physical exam. The 16 candidates would be interviewed for 12 vacancies in late April. To increase the pool of applicants they plan to partner with the Friends of Kaua‘i Fire Department to organize job orientation activities that would expose potential candidates to the level of knowledge and skills required to become a fire fighter. An exhaust filtration system was installed at one of the fire stations as part of a pilot program. The system cleansed the air and exposure to harmful carcinogenic fumes from diesel exhaust. The plan was to roll out installation to other stations using CIP (Capital Improvement Plan) funds in 2022. Status of new replacement trucks; 1. Kapaa Fire Station 2 apparatus brush truck completed and shipped in April 2. Hanalei Fire Station 1 replacement initial attach pumper due to complete in the fall 3. Waimea Fire Station replacement full engine pumper nearing completion and completed in early summer KEMA (Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency) updates; 1. Effective April 5, Kaua‘i rejoined the States Safe Travels Program that exempts quarantine with a negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival. 2. Kaua‘i had approximately 25,000 fully vaccinated residents and about 40,000 who completed the first vaccination dose. 3. CDC changed travel recommendations last week Friday to include vaccinations as Fire Commission Open Session April 5, 2021 Page 5 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION an exemption to quarantine. To date the state has not implemented this recommendation. 4. March 11 was declared a disaster, Rain21 that caused a island-wide rain flooding that caused a significant landslide in Hanalei and temporarily closed the highway; it now has limited access. 5. During the closure of the highway fire department personnel were actively engaged in supporting and assisting the community. The ocean safety staff partnered with the life guard association for a west side community food drive in Waimea that serviced 400-500 residents. The pandemic has fueled an increase in homeless encampments that may be the cause to the surge in brush fires. The recent heavy rains as also anticipated to fuel brush growth which could increase fire outbreaks. To address this potential problem the plan was to partner with the state and a wild fire group that locates abandoned cars, homeless encampments and clear fire breaks to reduce brush fire outbreaks. Appreciated and thanked the training team for completing its 2021 training plan which required staff to master the basic skills and fundamentals before moving on to the next skill set. They also began to schedule on-duty training sessions which controlled cost and limited expenditures. It’s projected to have reduced 50% of the training budget that allowed the department to cover unanticipated costs of the asbestos abatement. The prevention bureau team has reviewed and improved their processes and practices which were found to be inconsistent in collection of inspection fees. They are now in communication with building division to receive timely information. The projected increase in inspection fee revenue would fund community risk projects. The ocean safety team attended a statewide meeting on shark protocols. They are now in compliant with required signage and safety measures needed to keep the public informed. Fire Commission Open Session April 5, 2021 Page 6 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION The budget identified areas in personnel cost that were short funded but the overage was absorbed by reduction in other line items and keep the budget inline. Commissioner Pacheco asked the following questions; 1. Page 5 reported under facilities asbestos abatement completed but the total cost was left blank. Chief Goble responded that it cost $50,000 to $60,000. The total asbestos abatement cost for three stations totaled about $200,000. 2. Out of the 16 final recruitments how many vacancies did they have and would outer- island candidates be factored into the final cut. Chief Goble said there were 12 vacancies and outer-island candidates would be considered but they were required to complete the recruit academy. 3. Inquired if the budget was affected by the Hanalei landslide. Chief Goble said their staff consist of a group of Hā‘ena firefighters that stepped up to cover shifts. He said it did drive some overtime but no major impact to the budget. Mr. Levinthol moved to receive and accept the Fire Chief Report dated March 25, 2021 and the Kauai Fire Department Appropriation Balance-FY 2020-2021 as of February 28, 2021, as reported. Mr. Pacheco seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0. Business KFC 2021-05 Review and possible adoption of the revised format to the monthly Fire Chief Report a) Chief Goble to share any updates. b) Discussion on other related matters. Commissioner Pacheco left the meeting at 2:47 p.m. Fire Commission Open Session April 5, 2021 Page 7 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Chief Goble explained that revisions to the monthly report was to offer the commission the mass amount of information into an alternative format that displayed it in an easy to read presentation. Some of the department’s valuable data were lost in the old report and not easily digestible; the new format brought all that information into a viewable format that the commission could easily track and monitor. Chief Goble shared the revised formatted monthly report on the screen. The report contained the following; 1. A formal title page 2. Established a consistent way of reporting the monthly information. 3. The Strategic Plan guided the report outline with the three major categories; Service Delivery, Professional Standards and Training & Career Development. 4. Service Delivery reported on fire operations activity, fire prevention activity, ocean safety activity, key service delivery initiatives and readiness/resource status. It included graphs, charts and tables that provided and tracked the information in an easy to understand format. The commission would be able to see trends and compare month to month data. 5. Professional Standards would report on progress of the Standard Operation Guidelines. 6. Training and Career Development would report on any training schedule, activity and include the promotion processes. 7. The last section of the report included the Fire Chiefs goals. This area would track the activity and progress of the commission’s goals for Chief Goble. Chief Goble was open to any questions or concerns from the commission. Before Chair Chahanovich could open the floor to discussion, Deputy County Attorney Jenna Tatsey informed the commission that they did not have quorum, once Commissioner Pacheco left the meeting. They could continue to receive presentations and testimony and Fire Commission Open Session April 5, 2021 Page 8 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION ask questions; however, they could not make a decision on this agenda item. She asked Chair Chahanovich if they wanted to continue or cancel the meeting due to lack of quorum. Administrator Ellen Ching asked if the commissioners could comment and share their thoughts about the report and DCA Tatsey responded that they could comment, ask questions and share, but they could not make a decision. Chair Chahanovich opened the floor for the commissioners to comment on the report. 1. Commissioner Levinthol – very good, presented well, easy to follow and thought it was a great idea 2. Commissioner Kaauwai Iwamoto – liked the presentation and appreciated that it showed an easy to read budget as well as stats on personnel. 3. Chair Chahanovich – very easy to read, track and trend the information, presented in a good way and she really liked it. Chair Chahanovich called for a recess at 3:05 p.m. Ms. Muragin reported that she was unable to reach Vice Chair Martinez, but left a message. Chair Chahanovich called the meeting to order at 3:11 p.m. There was a short discussion regarding the evaluation timeline. Chair Chahanovich stated that the commissioners were well aware that completed evaluations needed to be emailed to Ms. Muragin by April 16. DCA Tatsey stated the commission could not motion to adjourn, due to lack of quorum. Chair Chahanovich announced the meeting was canceled due to lack of quorum. Meeting ended at 3:13pm. Vice Chair Mike Martinez entered into the meeting at 3:14 p.m. Ms. Ching, Chair Chahanovich and DCA Tatsey agreed to restart the meeting. Fire Commission Open Session April 5, 2021 Page 9 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Time was allotted to contact the participants who existed the meeting. Call To Order In Open Session /Roll Call to Ascertain Quorum Chair Chahanovich called the Open Session meeting back to order at 3:23 p.m. and requested a roll call. Commission support clerk Sandra Muragin verified attendance by roll call and requested a verbal response of present or here; Commissioner Garces was excused. Commissioner Kaauwai-Iwamoto replied present. Commissioner Levinthol replied present. Commissioner Nizo no response. Commissioner Pacheco was excused. Vice Chair Martinez replied present Chair Chahanovich replied present. Deputy County Attorney Tatsey replied present. Fire Chief Goble replied present. Deputy Chief Gibson replied present. Secretary Tamashiro replied present. Administrator Ching replied present. Commission Support Clerk Muragin replied here. Quorum was established with four commissioners present. Chair Chahanovich, Commissioner Kaauwai-Iwamoto, Deputy County Attorney Tatsey, Fire Chief Goble, Deputy Chief Gibson, Secretary Tamashiro, Administrator Ching and Commission Support Clerk Muragin were logged onto Microsoft Teams by video. Commissioner Levinthol and Vice Chair Martinez called into Microsoft Teams and entered the meeting by audio. KFC 2021-06 U.S. Department of Homeland Security FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Assistance to Firefighters Grant to fund purchase of new portable handheld and mobile radios; and an initial attack pumper for emergency responses application submitted by the February 12 deadline and County Council approved January 27. a) Possible request for endorsement letters Fire Commission Open Session April 5, 2021 Page 10 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION b) Discussion on other related matters Chief Goble explained that they would like to solicit letters of endorsements for the application to the grant that the fire department submitted in February. Endorsement letters from commissions, council, elected officials were helpful and added value when it was time to select awardees. Ms. Ching said typically the chair would sign the letter on behalf of the commission. Chief Goble said they have not started the award process and there were no deadlines but appreciated a quick response. Ms. Ching would work with Chief Goble to draft a letter for Chair to sign. Mr. Levinthol moved to approve an endorsement letter from the Fire Commission in support of the Fire Department’s application to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant. Ms. Kaauwai Iwamoto seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0. KFC 2021-01 The Kaua‘i Fire Department Utilization Study. a) Deputy Chief Gibson to share any updates. b) Discussion on other related matters. Deputy Chief Gibson shared that they were now in the final stages of completing phase I. The Emergency Services Consulting International (ESCI) vendor requested an opportunity to interview key stakeholders of the county, fire department, representatives and community organizations. ESCI Project Manager Bill Boyd and Rodney Mascho were scheduled to be on island May 3-5 to conduct interviews and extended an opportunity for the commissioners to participate. Interviews would be held at the fire department office from 8am to 5pm. Deputy Chief Gibson asked that the commissioners respond to the email that was sent to Mr. Muragin for distribution, if they would like to participate. Fire Commission Open Session April 5, 2021 Page 11 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION With no questions from the commission Chair Chahanovich moved on to the next agenda item KFC 2021-07 Commission to verbally present evaluation questions for Chief Goble to respond regarding the annual performance evaluation for period July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. a) Review timeline Chair Chahanovich said that the evaluations were due April 16 and opened the floor to any questions the commissioners may have to complete the evaluation. 1. Vice Chair Martinez said the one on one meeting was sufficient 2. Commissioner Kaauwai Iwamoto completed her one on one meeting and she did not require any other questions 3. Commissioner Levinthol completed his one on one meeting and was satisfied 4. Chair Chahanovich completed her one on one meeting and had no further questions Ms. Ching announced April 16 was the deadline to submit completed evaluations. With no reason to go into executive session the commission bypassed the following agenda items; 1. Executive Session 2. Enter into Executive Session 3. Call to Order in Executive Session 4. Roll Call 5. ES Business – ES KFC 2021-04 6. Return to Open Session 7. Call to Order in Open Session 8. Roll Call 9. Ratify Actions And moved on to the next agenda item. Fire Commission Open Session April 5, 2021 Page 12 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Adjournment With no further business to conduct, Chair Chahanovich called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Levinthol moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Kaauwai Iwamoto seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 Chair Chahanovich adjourned the meeting at 3:42 p.m. Submitted by: _Sandra Muragin___________________________ Reviewed and Approved by: _________________________________________ Sandra Muragin, Commission Support Clerk Jennie Chahanovich, Chair ( X ) Approved as circulated. 05/03/21 ( ) Approved with amendments. See minutes of ___________ meeting.