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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021 FC 11-16 Approved Open Session Minutes.pdf COUNTY OF KAUAI Open Session Meeting Minutes Board/Commission Kauai Fire Commission Meeting Date November 16, 2021 Location Microsoft Teams Teleconference Meeting Start of Meeting: 2:03 p.m. 2:52 p.m. Present Chair Jen Chahanovich ; Vice Chair Michael Martinez ; Commissioners: Alfredo Garces Jr., Alfred Levinthol and Chad Pacheco. Also present: Board & Commissions Office Staff: Support Clerk Mercedes Omo; Administrator Ellen Ching; Office of the County Attorney: Deputy County Attorney Jenna Tatsey; Fire Department: Fire Chief Steven Goble; Deputy Fire Chief Michael Gibson and Chief’s Secretary Soncy Tamashiro. Excused Commissioner Linda Kaauwai-Iwamoto Absent Commissioner Thomas Nizo. SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Call To Order Chair Chahanovich called the meeting to order at 2:03 p.m. Roll Call A roll call ensued with five (5) Commissioner’s present including Boards and Commissions staff members; Deputy County Attorney Jenna Tatsey, Fire Chief Steven Goble, Deputy Fire Chief Michael Gibson, and Chief Goble’s Secretary Soncy Tamashiro to conduct business. Chair’s Announcements Chair Chahanovich announced that the commission’s next teleconference monthly meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 21, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. Public Testimony None. Approval of Meeting Minutes Chair Chahanovich called for a motion to approve or amend the regular session minutes of October 19, 2021, meeting. Mr. Pacheco moved to approve the minutes of the October 19, 2021, Meeting. Mr. Garces seconded. Hearing no objections. The motion carried 5:0 by voice vote. KFC Open Session Minutes of November 16, 2021, Meeting Page 2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Chief’s Monthly Bureau Reports for October 2021 • Administrative • Fire Operations • Fire Prevention • Training • Ocean Safety Bureau • Goals and Objectives status update • Kauai Fire Department’s five (5) year Strategic Plan update • Update by Deputy Fire Chief Michael Gibson on KFD’s Utilization Study Fire Chief Goble highlighted items from his written report: • The Kauai Fire Department Waimea fire station held blessing for their new fire truck. Kapa‘a fire station held a blessing for their new fire brush truck. Rededication ceremonies were held for the fire stations that had remodeling work done to its interior and exterior. • Budgetary discussion for Fiscal Year 2022/2023 has begun. Chief Goble has been working on the Department’s training cadres; engaging with the community and the Department’s operations team to get an understanding as to what their needs are going into the new fiscal year. A budget proposal will be drafted and vetted to identify and prioritize items; once completed Chief Goble will present the budget to the mayor for review, and then to the County Council for the departmental budgetary hearing. Chief Goble will provide an update to the Commission on the progress. KFC Open Session Minutes of November 16, 2021, Meeting Page 3 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION • On-going projects include helicopter hanger for Air 1 and a dedicated training modular. A recommendation was made by the review committee for the architect to move forward with the design for the training module. • Request for capital improvement that was submitted last year was approved in the current year budget. The first phase of kits to capture and filter vehicle exhaust will be installed on the fire apparatus; vendor is tentatively scheduled to come next month to install the kits. • The Department’s wildfire mitigation efforts are wrapping up. • The Department’s Utilization Study will be presented at the Commission’s December meeting. • The drone fly team has documented more than 200 abandoned vehicles. Removal of those vehicles have been targeted. Internal & External Partnerships/Covid 19 & Resource: • Various community organizations have been working together to remove significant amount of trash in areas that have accumulated trash over the years. • On the covid front, KFD is continuing to manage the day-to-day operations but has seen a significant reduction in work at the KEMA emergency operation center. Some of KFD’s responsibilities are going to other departments with the level of training needed to continue the work and move it forward. KFC Open Session Minutes of November 16, 2021, Meeting Page 4 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION • Eight firefighters’ trainees are in the recruit class; seven vacancies; assistant fire chief interviews were held to identify the right person for the role. • Watercraft training on recuse has commenced. Administrative Bureau: • KFD is on track on its expenditures for the year. Maintaining staff levels, a priority. Overall, KFD’s payroll costs are down; however, there was a bit of reduction in the usage of funds from payroll standpoint and there was an uptick in overtime which helped to compensate for the vacancies. • Procurement to replace floors at the Kalaheo Fire Station and lifeguard towers are making headway. Fire Operations Bureau • Steady increase in call volume – Up 20% from October last year. Overall, 7% increase in call volume. Fire Prevention Bureau: • Inspectors have been busy reviewing plans and are working with the Building Department on plans. • Uptick in Review certificate of occupancy KFC Open Session Minutes of November 16, 2021, Meeting Page 5 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Fire Training Bureau: • Kudos to the training team for the great and creative work they are doing. • This last quarter, the training team focused on extending fire attacks which is unique to Hawai‘i – common challenges for the engines are dealing with long driveways to access a residence and how to extend hose lines to effective attack those kinds of fires. • The team put together a BlueCard command class for the Department’s new officers. With the round of promotions and folks being reassigned the BlueCard is just another step in the standardization process. Ocean Safety Bureau: • Increase in beach attendance and number of responses • Preventive measures activity going on with the Department’s Ocean safety personnel. • Ocean safety is working on changing over its data collection to something that is a bit more robust that will create flexibility with their reporting as well as maintain the data in way better way. Goals: • Work on defining the standards of response coverage is on-going. KFD trainings have evolved over the course of the year and are being solidified. • With the completion of the Utilization Study, it offers more information to the standard of response coverage; what they expect from their crews in terms of response. • Work on Standardizing the operating guidelines is moving along; rules and regulations have been largely drafted and they are in the KFC Open Session Minutes of November 16, 2021, Meeting Page 6 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION process of painstakingly going through the draft. • Establishing Code of Conduct guidelines are moving forward; KDF has been consulting with the unions. • Written policies and the promotional process is wrapping up. As for promotions once the process is completed, they will score the results and will go back to the folks that went through the process to solicit feedback to sort out any revisions tweaks that needs to be made to the process to make it better the next time around. The purpose is to provide them with a clear understanding of what to expect out of the promotional process and ultimately help them with their career development going forward. • Deputy Fire Chief Gibson reported that the Utilization Study would be presented to the County Council in December. Questions from the Commissioners: • Commissioner Pacheco asked if the fire stations or the fire engines are equipped with Narcan to which Fire Chief Goble replied not current, but the topic will be presented to the EMS Committee for review. The recruitment process and contract finalization for a medical director hit a couple of snags, but it is on the Department’s priority list to address. KFD has partnered with the Kauai Police Department and the American Medical Response who are equipped with Narcan; KFD wants to be a part of that first response wave as well. • Commissioner Garces asked when does the Department’s new recruit class officially come onboard and will they undergo EMT training to which Chief Goble replied around the first of May 2022, and a couple of folks in that class are already EMT’s. KFC Open Session Minutes of November 16, 2021, Meeting Page 7 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Hearing no further questions, Chair Chahanovich called for a motion to receive fire Chief Goble’s Monthly Reports. Mr. Garces moved to receive the Chief’s Monthly Reports. Mr. Pacheco seconded. Hearing no objections. The motion carried 5:0 by voice vote. KFC 2021-10 Communication dated October 1, 2021, from Reid Kawane, Chair Charter Review Commission to Jen Chahanovich, Chair Fire Commission inviting the Fire Commission to present proposals to amend the Kauai County Charter. (Deferred on October 19, 2021) Chair Chahanovich asked the Commissioners if they had the opportunity to review the Charter, and if so, would they like to comment or present changes or additions to the Charter. Ms. Ching stated that if the Commission does not have any proposals to make, Chair Chahanovich could entertain a motion to receive the communication which will take the item off the agenda. Chair Chahanovich agreed and called for the motion. Mr. Pacheco moved to receive item KFC 2021-10 for the record. Mr. Levinthol seconded. Hearing no objections. The motion carried 5:0 by voice vote. Adjournment With no further business to conduct, Chair Chahanovich called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Pacheco moved to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Garces seconded. Hearing no objections. The motion carried 5:0 by voice vote. At 2:52 p.m. the meeting adjourned. KFC Open Session Minutes of November 16, 2021, Meeting Page 8 Submitted by: __________________________________ Reviewed and Approved by: _________________________________________ Mercedes Omo, Staff Support Clerk Jen Chahanovich , Chair ( x ) Approved as circulated on December 21, 2021 ( ) Approved as amended. See minutes of ___________ meeting.