FIRE & RESCUE DISTRICT April 23, 2015 Attendance: Commissioners Mike Irvan Margaret Dimmick Jeff Ramey Sr Administrative Assistant Shelley Young BFD Fire Marshal Romeo Gervais BFD Deputy Chief Operations Perry Oldenburg B-Shift Captain Rob Christensen B-Shift Firefighter Geoff Chally Whitney Fire District Resident Paul Hemming Call to Order: 16:02 Hours GENERAL BUSINESS APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes from March 9, 2015. Commissioner Irvan made motion to approve the Minutes noted above. Commissioner Dimmick second. No discussion. Roll call vote: Irvan (yes), Dimmick (yes), Ramey (yes). Motion carried. APPROVAL OF BILLS: Check List Dated 4/23/15 Commissioner Dimmick asked SAA Young if there was anything to note regarding the check list. SAA Young stated that the check list contained the 2 nd quarter BFD Contract payment. Commissioner Dimmick made motion to approve the check list dated 4/23/15. Commissioner Ramey second. No Discussion. Roll call vote: Irvan (yes), Dimmick (yes), Ramey (yes). Motion carried. GENERAL BUSINESS REPORT FROM BFD FIRE CHIEF DENNIS DOAN Chief Doan was absent. Deputy Chief Perry Oldenburg was present. 4 TH Firefighter Staffing Station 16 Deputy Chief Perry Oldenburg stated that he was there to answer questions the Board might have regarding the 4 th firefighter staffing at Station 16. Commissioner Irvan stated that the Board wanted to
Page 2 of 5 make sure that the funding is available for additional staffing year after year so that layoffs do not occur. Commissioner Ramey stated that the Board had budgeted for 3 firefighters, but had been notified that 4 firefighters were required the 4 th being hired to fill vacation and sick leave vacancies. Deputy Chief Oldenburg responded that having 4 th firefighter staffing at Station 16 would be different from BFD stations. An option to consider would be not to back fill for the 4 th firefighter. If the 4 th firefighter is off on vacation or sick leave, then that position would be left vacant. There was more discussion regarding rank of the 4 th firefighter, staffing options and possible coverage scenarios including a part-time or less than part-time staff at Station 18. Deputy Chief Oldenburg stated that there are many different staffing scenarios that could be accommodated. He will look at call volume and coverage statistics and get back to the NACFR Board regarding the best use of additional staff. Commissioner Ramey asked if the Union would be amenable to an unusual staffing scenario. Deputy Chief Oldenburg stated that he would speak with the Union President, but he feels the Union would be in favor of hiring additional staff and would work with the Board for the best use of additional staff. There was additional discussion regarding a deadline for a decision on whether or not to hire additional staffing. Deputy Chief Oldenburg stated that BFD would be able to wait on a decision until after the May 11 Commissioner meeting when the Ada County Assessor will provide the forecast of property value increase/decrease. However, a decision would be needed as closed to May 11 as possible and definitely prior to May 15. Commissioner Irvan asked Captain Christensen what the benefit of having a 4 th firefighter at Station 16 would be from a Captain s perspective. Captain Christensen stated that the biggest advantage would be to have the 2-in/2-out available immediately since Station 16 covers the very edges of the District and the foothills. In addition, every day duties are accomplished faster, more efficiently and safety is increased as well as situational awareness. There was additional discussion on whether or not a 4 th firefighter would give Hidden Springs responses an advantage. Deputy Chief Oldenburg stated that there are lots of options for deployment, and he can help with statistical analysis to determine what type of additional response the District is demanding. Captain Christensen stated that he and the other Captains at Station 16 agree that it would be best if the Captain on duty made the decision on how to deploy the 4 firefighters on duty at the time of a call. The Board agreed that deployment would not be up to the Board but would be handled by Operations and the Captain on duty. SAA Young stated that the financial variables in play are the following: 1) The District is operating under the FY2014 JPA Contract due to the Union Contract going to arbitration in June. 2) Depending on the outcome of the arbitration, the 2015 JPA Contract could go up from what is currently in the FY2015 Budget. 3) Depending on the outcome of the arbitration, the FY2016 JPA Contract cost could go up at an increased rate going forward. 4) The District does not yet know if property value will increase/decrease in the coming year and to what extent.
Page 3 of 5 Commissioner Ramey stated that he is in favor of hiring the 4 th firefighter. The next step is to schedule a budget workshop dedicated to discussing the budget variables and determine whether or not the District Budget will allow additional FTE s. Commissioner Irvan asked Paul Hemming, former Whitney Commissioner, if Whitney staffed 4 th firefighters. Mr. Hemming stated they do not, but they do staff a 4 th firefighter during wildland fire season. A meeting is scheduled with the Accountant for the District, Kathleen Roma, on April 30 at 1:00 p.m. at Station 16. The meeting will be posted, and all three Commissioners will attend. Fire Marshal Gervais asked the Board if they are comfortable with the strategy that is in place regarding making a decision. The Board would like Deputy Chief Oldenburg to look at statistical data and prepare 1 or 2 options for deployment of additional staff. He will also need to speak with the President of the Local 149 regarding these options. The options may involve staffing Station 18. Boise City Fire Department Remodel and Construction & Station 18 Deputy Chief Oldenburg stated that Boise City Fire Department will soon be in the construction phase for the remodel and rebuild of Stations 8 and 4. There will be a time period when they will need to relocate Station 4. Deputy Chief Oldenburg would like the NACFR Board to consider allowing the Boise Fire Department to inhabit Station 18 during the construction phase. The project timeline is the spring of 2016. Construction will take 7-8 months. Stations 5 and 9 will be next on the list for rebuild/remodel. Chief Oldenburg will bring back information to the Board regarding the possible rent or lease of Station 18 for Stations needing relocation during renovation. Commissioner Irvan asked the Board for approval to bring the Engine Purchase discussion forward on the Agenda. The Board approved. New Engine Purchases 2016 Preliminary Discussion The NACFR District is scheduled to purchase two engines one in FY2016 and one in FY2017. There was discussion on whether there is a savings to purchase two at the same time and whether or not a Fire District is allowed to purchase through the HGAC program. Deputy Chief Oldenburg stated that the District may not need to purchase two new engines as Station 18 is no longer staffed. In addition, the engines the District currently owns are in good condition and may not need to be replaced at this time. Deputy Chief Oldenburg will discuss the vehicle replacement schedule with Deputy Chief of Logistics Carbone. The discussion will be continued in future meetings. PREVENTION DEPARTMENT UPDATE FIRE MARSHAL ROMEO GERVAIS Chief Gervais reported that there are two new hires (Inspectors) in the Prevention Department, Forrest France and Ron Johnson. Inspector Johnson will be assisting Jim Poe with the NACFR District and has an extensive background in Fire Prevention including plan review. There was discussion regarding additional hiring from the same pool of applicants, internal/external applicants, etc Fire Marshal Gervais presented a statistical graph and reviewed the Prevention Statistics with the Board. 17 Inspections on existing businesses were accomplished in March. Fire Marshal Gervais and SAA Young both stated that phone calls were coming in from business owners questioning the $50 fee
Page 4 of 5 for inspections. Fire Marshal Gervais stated that the Inspectors will be more diligent in notifying the business owners about the inspection fee going forward. DISTRICT BUSINESS Vehicle Swap Documents for Signature The vehicle swap documents were returned to BFD for correction. Corrected documents are not available for signature at this time. Public Hearing to Set the Budget SAA Young requested that the Public Hearing to set the FY2016 Budget be held on September 1 st at 4:00 p.m. The Board unanimously agreed. Generator for Station 16 Commissioner Irvan Commissioner Irvan brought information to the Board regarding a new Generator for Station 16. The current generator is old and insufficient to sustain the entire station. Captain Christensen stated that he believes the generator wiring was possibly disturbed during the recent remodel. Commissioner Irvan believes a new generator will cost approximately $30 for purchase and set up. Ada County Paramedics have a generator next door, but they are unwilling to share the use. Purchasing a new generator will be a topic for discussion in future meetings and budget workshops. Remodel Station 16 SAA Young SAA Shelley Young presented the Board with a budget vs actual report on the 1 st floor remodel of Station 16. The report states that the remodel budget was exceeded by $149.54. This report is preliminary and will be finalized once the District Accountant has reviewed the data. SAA Young also presented the Board with a report on the current and projected Committed Fund totals. Several capital purchase items were brought forward for a decision by the Board. 1) Conference Package Flat Screen/Computer for meeting room - $2500 2) Window Screen Purchase for windows in Physical Fitness room - $167.50 3) Station Signage for Station 16 and Station 18 Cost Undetermined 4) Wall Mount for flat screen TV in Physical Fitness Room Cost Undetermined Fire Marshal Gervais and Deputy Chief Perry Oldenburg also inserted information regarding the Dark Fiber project. BFD is currently considering two options for installation at their stations: A) Phased in over 7 years. Cost is 50-60k per year. Cable company pays for cost of hardware up front. All Stations receive install immediately. B) Piece Meal Install in a couple of stations per year until all are complete. The last projected cost to NACFR for Station 16 was approximately $23,000. Commissioner Ramey made motion to purchase items 1, 2, 3, and 4 above. Commissioner Dimmick second. No discussion. Roll call vote: Irvan (yes), Dimmick (yes), Ramey (yes). Motion carried. SAA Young also requested permission from the Board to go forward with exterior paint at Station 18. $9000 has been set aside in the FY2015 Budget for this purpose. Permission was granted.
Page 5 of 5 NEW BUSINESS EMS JPA Commissioner Dimmick Commissioner Dimmick stated that she recently attended the Executive Board Meeting for the EMS JPA. The Executive Board is to determine the best process for requesting funds from participating entities. Input from participating entities is requested. The next Executive Board Meeting is in July. Public Recognition Captain Rob Christensen Captain Christensen wished to acknowledge and commend Driver Mark Austin and Firefighter Geoff Challey for their lifesaving work during a recent structure fire. Austin and Challey were able to remove a person from a burning structure, and Capt. Christensen wanted the Board and all present to know their exemplary work had saved a life. ADJORN: Commissioner Ramey made motion to adjourn. Commissioner Dimmick second. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned. ADJOURN: 17:25 Michael G. Irvan Commissioner, Chairman Date