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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BFC-2013-12-10CITY OF ITHACA BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS MEETING MINUTES December 10, 2013 Present: Chair Gilligan Commissioners (2) McGonigal, Hoard Fire Chief Parsons Information Management Specialist — Myers Chief of Staff — Sutherland Excused: Commissioners Ellsworth and Sparks Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 1632 hours II. Approval of Minutes: Approval of the November 12. 2013 Board of Fire Commissioners Meetina Minutes - Resolution Approval of minutes will be postponed until January because Chair Gilligan had changes that were not distributed prior to the meeting. No Board Member objected. III. Additions to or Deletions from the agenda: There were no additions to or deletions from the agenda. IV. Persons Wishing to Speak to the Board of Fire Commissioners: Mr. Lyman Baker addressed the Board on the following items: A. Annual Tribute to all Fallen Firefiahters- Ithaca Citv Cemetery Firemen's Section: Dear Board members, The annual remembrance ceremony of all deceased Firemen and of those killed while on duty serving the Ithaca Fire Department was conducted December 6, 2013 at the Firemen section in the Ithaca City cemetery at 8:00 AM. There was a mist in the cold air and a tear in the eyes of those in attendance. Raymond B. Wheaton, opened the ceremony with a prayer, read John 15 and Ecclesiastes 3. Lyman E. Baker read the 23rd Psalm and the original poem written by Francis Miles Finch which was read at the Firemen Monument dedication in 1861. Fire Commissioner Chairman, William Gilligan set the wreath at the foot of the Fire Fighters Memorial. Danny Wheeler, of the Sons of Union Veterans played Taps. Sincerely, Lyman E. Baker Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes December 10, 2013 B. Work hours in the Ithaca City Cemete Dear Board members, Raymond B. Wheaton and Lyman E. Baker worked 3 hours apiece in the Firemen's section in the Ithaca City Cemetery during the months of November thru December 9, 2013. One last mowing and raking leaves, removing dead flowers, and a little residue from a couple of the headstones. Sincerely , Lyman E. Baker Jack Gould addressed the Board to report the banner regarding the need for volunteer fire fighters is on display at the Veteran Volunteer station on Elmira Road, and another one was hung on fire station #6. He hopes the banners will attract and increase volunteers for the Volunteer Fire Fighter program. V. Correspondence: A. Chair Gilligan reported that the bank statement from Tompkins Trust Company for the Rescue Squad Donation Fund dated November 30, 2013 had a beginning balance of $1,843.00; the account earned .12 interest so the ending balance was 1,8043.12. B. Chair Gilligan reported that the bank statement from Tompkins Trust Company for the donation fund dated November 30, 2013 had a beginning balance of $1,058.51 and an ending balance of $1,058.51 reflecting no activity. VI. Membership Changes: Chair Gilligan reported that there were no membership changes. VII. Miscellaneous Reports: A. Town of Ithaca — Chair Gilligan gave a report to the Town of Ithaca Board on November 18, 2013. His report will be attached to the minutes of this meeting. B. City of Ithaca — No report this month. C. Audit: The audit was reviewed and completed by Commissioner Hoard VIII. Department Reports: A. Chief Parsons highlighted the following items from his monthly report which will be attached to the minutes of this meeting: Fire Fighters Crowley and Foote retired in November. Fire Fighter Hagin will retire at the end of next week 2 Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes December 10, 2013 That will leave the department with three vacancies which are funded for 2014. They will need to go to the vacancy review committee in order to move ahead with interviews for the Asst. Chief and Lieutenant positions, which will be filled by internal promotion, and then the hiring of three new fire fighters. The fire fighter roster lists will be canvassed this week after the vacancy review committee meeting, and then interviews will be set up interviews. The department will not be hiring until after the first of the year. Fire Department budget — information included with his monthly report. Not included in the 2013 budget was the $140,000 overtime deficit due to retirement buy- outs, and the unexpected delay of Fire Fighter Crowley's retirement. He will borrow from other accounts to cover that line, so the department will be at or slightly over budget at end of year. The department's utilities were under estimated as well as repair costs which should help bring the department very close to its budget. All the Capital Projects for the department are now complete; other work has been completed to the outside of stations — i.e. roof repair to extend the life of roof. The Mayor's 2014 budget was approved with minor changes with none that affected the fire department. The new manager for the County's 9 -1 -1 system will begin work later this month. He submitted a grant application in August and another one just recently for the purchase of hybrid software for incident command for officers False Fire Alarm Ordinance - he worked with the city attorney's office to draft a comprehensive ordinance. It went to the City Administration Committee in November. Common Council had concerns about impacts to private businesses and did not support the ordinance going forward; which was not surprising to him. Common Council did suggest coming back in the Spring to talk with them further about the ordinance, and present data figures regarding false alarms. The report he provided for the November meeting was for the time period November 2012 — November 2013 — there were almost 1,500 false fire alarms involving 635 buildings, then breaking down the buildings that had multiple alarms there were 16 buildings that had 7 or more alarms during that period. The department will be working with those property owners to address some of the issues that might be causing the false alarms. Chief Parsons introduced the new Chief of Staff for the City of Ithaca to the Board — Kevin Sutherland. Introductions were made around the table. A brief discussion followed on the floor regarding the number of false fire alarms and whether the report can indicate whether they are human error or activity generated? Chief Parsons responded that 30% of the alarms were from cooking related activities. He further noted that one level of concern for the department is unusually sensitive level of odor detection some systems have which causes the alarms. Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes December 10, 2013 Chief Parsons reported that the fire investigation unit determined that the fire at 301 Maple Avenue in November was accidental caused by smoking Emergency Management - later this week members from the Ithaca Fire Department and the City Clerk's will be meeting with at the Department of Emergency Response to develop a joint training for both city and county employees. It is recommended that the best way to do that is through some type of joint training, sharing some of same space to develop relationships for that type of situation. The next objective then would be to prepare to a emergency management exercise that would involve county and city personnel that would help prepare them to respond to flooding or potential severe storm situations. Chair Gilligan asked whether there would be any involvement of area volunteer fire departments in the city /county exercise. Chief Parsons responded that at this point it is just a joint county /city emergency management training with the focus more on the administrative side of disasters. That means that representatives from the legal and financial fields will be participating since those are two very important roles during an extended disaster situation. Commissioner Hoard asked how the solar panels on fire stations roofs are performing so far. Chief Parsons responded that it has only been less than a month since the work was completed, so he doesn't really know at this point. His understanding is that it is not supposed to cost the City any more money, and the electricity from the panels goes back into the buildings, and not the grid. He stated that the greatest benefit is the reduction of the City's carbon footprint - if money is saved that is an added benefit. In addition, the insulation factor has been substantially increased which is not normally seen in these types of buildings that house the City's fire stations. B. Fire Police Report: Mr. David Cornelius reported that last month's training was a make -up session for anyone who had not completed one of the previous training sessions. Everyone that was in attendance at that meeting was current with everything except for the CPR refresher. Those who needed that refresher completed it, so everyone should now be up -to -date on training requirements. They made a request for a topic for their December training; one suggestion was cold water rescues. IX. Old Business: A. Update on Funds Requested by City Chamberlain from Former Volunteer Companies: Chair Gilligan reported that the Board held a lengthy discussion on this topic at the last meeting. He would propose obtaining a written summary of what the Board knows has been received from each company, and what information has gone to Company #9 or the Volunteer Veterans from the City Chamberlain. He noted that the last time it was checked, something had been received from all the volunteer companies except for Company #3. 4 Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes December 10, 2013 The other issue is documentation of what was reported to the State Comptroller in terms of use of the funds and distribution of same. There is also the issue of incomplete sets of reports on file from the various volunteer companies. He would like to pursue what, if any, reports can be obtained directly from the State Comptroller's office. B. Volunteer Recruitment Items /Issues: Chief Parsons reported that he checked with the Town of Ithaca regarding the display of volunteer promotional signs and banners on fire stations located in the Town. The City would be required to comply with the Town of Ithaca sign ordinance if it wanted to pursue the placement of a banner or sign on those buildings. Mr. Jack Gould responded that he would still like to pursue putting the banner on the ground at Station #6, similar to what was done at the Volunteer Veteran station. He will provide the Chief with the physical dimensions of the signs and banners so that can be submitted to the Town of Ithaca for a permit. Chair Gilligan stated that the bigger issue is the process that should be followed once someone completes a volunteer fire fighter application, the background check is completed, and they are approved for membership by both the company and the Board. What happens next as far as access to training and physicals? He would like to have the work of the volunteer handbook committee expanded to deal with a number of these recruitment issues and determine the process rather than work on the other aspects of the handbooks at this time. He will work with Commissioner Hoard on this expansion of the scope of the work for the committee. This is important to the process of increasing the number of new volunteers. Chief Parsons stated that there will be a gap in training until the department has a training officer in place. In addition, the new volunteers need turn out gear as well as Fire Fighter I training provided through Tompkins County. It would be best to get the new people on board in January, schedule, and then reserve spots for them for training. The hard part will be the provision of the appropriate turn out gear /equipment, and getting them into the training. C. IFD 2014 Budget Update: Chair Gilligan reported that the Chief's report indicates that the department's budget was approved with no changes to the fire department, and is now in place for 2014. Chief Parsons noted that it will not be an easy year for the department because of the challenges of filling vacancies, providing training, monitoring over time costs, and the expectation of additional retirements in 2014. A brief discussion followed on the floor regarding when the next civil service exam will be for the fire fighter position, the fact that the eligible list will be restricted to just Tompkins County residents — which is different than in the past, and what diversity efforts have been undertaken to attract applicants. Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes December 10, 2013 Further discussion followed on the floor regarding the challenge of the civil service testing for potential candidates. It was noted that it is a challenge for a lot of candidates and the fact that if the department is to recruit a diverse group of candidates that the civil service testing process needs to be changed. Chief Parsons reported that Rochester has done a different method of testing with approval of the civil service. It has been successful, but was quite expensive — especially for the consultant they hired to develop the program. If the City of Ithaca really wants to diversify its pool of applicants, it will need to invest in this type of program. D. Update on Archived and Historical Records and Materials of the Ithaca Fire Department: Chair Gilligan reported that the Fire Chief, the City Clerk's Office as well as the City Attorney's Office have made the recommendation to allow the release of the requested historical duplicate records to the Volunteer Veteran Company. The following resolution approves that request through the Board of Fire Commissioners as well. Resolution Regarding the Transfer of Duplicate Historical Records and Documents of the Ithaca Fire Department: By Commissioner McGonigal: Seconded by Commissioner Hoard WHEREAS, the Ithaca Veteran Volunteer Firemen's Association (IVVFA) has requested a set of the duplicate historical records currently held by the Ithaca Fire Department, and WHEREAS, an inventory of those records has been made by the City Clerk's office staff, Fire Department Staff, and representatives of the IVVFA, and WHEREAS, the City Clerk, the City Attorney, and the Fire Chief have agreed that those duplicate historical records and documents do not represent an asset with monetary value for the City or Department, and WHEREAS, the IVVFA currently maintains a number of historical artifacts, records, memorabilia, including the City owned 1896 Steamer fire apparatus, and WHEREAS, the IVVFA is the steward of much of the history and traditions of the Ithaca Fire Department and the volunteer companies that provided service to the Ithaca Community from the incorporation of the first volunteer company in 1823, now therefore be it, RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Board of Fire Commissioners authorizes the transfer of a set of the duplicate historical records and documents held by the Ithaca Fire Department, as long as there are no restrictions on providing public access to those records, and be it further RESOLVED, That the specific records to be transferred will be overseen by the City Clerk's office who will maintain a complete set of all items transferred to the IVVFA, and be it further 6 Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes December 10, 2013 RESOLVED, That if the IVVFA or its successor organization, determines at a future date that it no longer is able to maintain these documents, it will notify the Board of Fire Commissioners of this and allow the Board to determine if these documents should be returned to the Ithaca Fire Department or disposed of as determined by the IVVFA. Carried Unanimously (3 -0) E. Update on GPA Committee - Update on Review of Boards and Committees: Chair Gilligan reported that he, and Commissioners Hoard and McGonigal attended the November 20th Government Performance and Accountability Committee (GPA) meeting. It appeared to him, given the number of boards and committees that City has, that the meeting was relatively lightly attended. The Board of Fire Commissioners is not one of the committees being reviewed at this point, and the review of the boards and committees by the GPA is very much a work in progress. The goal of the GPA Committee is to make the most efficient use of the volunteers on its many boards and committee and make them as productive as possible. The GPA also plans to review, and determine the role of Common Council members in relation to the various boards and committees, and work on ways to improve the communication between everyone. Another key factor identified during the meeting was the importance of having staff support for the committee, and attendance at the meetings by the Common Council liaison. Chief of Staff Sutherland stated that he would also be involved in the GPA's review of boards and committees. Chair Gilligan stated that he would like to revisit the discussion, that started three or so years ago with Common Council members, on the role of the Board of Fire Commissioners, the out -of -date responsibilities for the Board in the City Charter, and what the Board might do in terms of updating that language and identify how to be most useful to City. That is not to say that over the past two years the Board has been idle, as it has been addressing the 2% funding, working to update the Volunteer Fire Fighter Handbook, as well as working with the volunteer fire companies to increase recruitment. X. New Business: A. Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Schedule - January - June 2014 - Discussion Chair Gilligan stated that the Board changed its meeting time from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a six month basis. Does the Board want to change the meeting time back to 4:00 p.m. or keep it at 4:30 p.m.? He further stated that since two members of the Board are absent today that a final decision on the meeting time will be placed on the January agenda. In addition, due to the Board's support staff being unavailable for the regular meeting on January 14th, he would like to move the Board's meeting to either January 7th or January 21St. After a brief discussion, the Board decided to meet on January 7th at 4:30 p.m. 7 Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes December 10, 2013 Chair Gilligan and the rest of the Board expressed their thanks and appreciation to Commissioner McGonigal for his service on the Board, and the great level of participation in each part of the Board's meetings and duties. Everyone wished him well in his new role of Alderperson for the First Ward of the City of Ithaca. Commissioner McGonigal expressed his thanks, and noted that he has met some really nice people as a Commissioner on the Board and is better for it. He has really enjoyed his time on the Board. XI. Adjournment: On a motion the meeting was adjourned at 1728 hours. Sarah L. Myers, William Gilligan Information Management Specialist Chair 8 Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes December 10, 2013 Board of Fire Commissioners Quarterly Report to the Town of Ithaca Board November 18, 2013 The following is a summary of the Board of Fire Commissioners quarterly report to the Ithaca Town Board for the 3rd quarter of 2013 including the year to date call activity summary: Included with this report are: • The department activity reports for January 1- September 30, 2013. (also posted on the city Website ). • The Fire Chief's Report given at the October 8, 2013 BFC meeting, including the Fire Marshal's Report & Fire Prevention Bureau activity. • The IFD Financial Activity Report for September 30, 2013. Fire Department Operational Staffing (October 2013). As of the Chief's report, there were 64 Uniform Personnel in the department including the Deputy Chief's position which is being filled on a part -time per diem basis. In addition to this there is 1 Administrative Coordinator's position in the department. There have been 2 retirements as of November 5t" and 2 more will occur by December 31St. Three of these positions are in the 2014 budget and scheduled to be refilled. This includes the training officer position (Assistant Chief) which has been vacant since September 30, 2013. Volunteer Organization — There are currently 14 active volunteers with the department, the majority of these are Fire Police. The Board, the members of Company 9, and the Chief have developed a preliminary set of recruitment /volunteer guidelines to allow the recruitment of new volunteers with the Ithaca Fire Department. One volunteer applicant has been accepted into Company 9 (he previously served as a volunteer with IFD between 2000 - 2003). An additional applicant is currently under review. Both of these individuals are seeking to be Class I (Interior /SCBA certified ) fire fighters. Their training is expected to occur in the spring of 2014. Recruitment activity — Company 9 has recruitment banners that will be displayed at station 6 & 5. Other announcements and notices are being developed to increase the number of applicants to become volunteers. Board Agendas & Minutes Agendas and Minutes for BFC meetings can be found at the following site: http: / /www.egovlink.com /ithaca /docs /menu /home.asp ?path = /public documents300 /itha ca /published documents /Agendas 11 Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes December 10, 2013 Other Items & Items in progress: 1 Charter Review- the BFC continues to review and discuss changes in the charter relating to the role and responsibilities of the Board of Fire Commissioners. We anticipate working with the Common Council's Government Performance and Accountability committee on this issue. 2 Resource recovery /False Alarm Policy — the Board will be reviewing the status of a draft recommendation sent for review to the City Attorney. 3 County Fire - Disaster — EMS Advisory Board— no new action on this issue. 4 Training Center Facility Project — this is still under consideration, no construction has been authorized due to the training site being located on land designated as City Park land. 5 City -Town Fire Service Contract - The Board of Fire Commissioners is concerned about the organizational impact and impact on the Community served by the Ithaca Fire Department if there is a significant change in the current agreement impacting service delivery. Any decision to cancel the current arrangement requires notification by the end of the current calendar year. 6 The roofing project at Central Fire Station has been completed and installation of solar panels on the roof is underway. 7 There will be a vacancy on the Board as of January 2014 as Commissioner McGonigal was elected to the Common Council for a 2 year term beginning January 1, 2014. Respectfully Submitted, Bill Gilligan Chair, Board of Fire Commissioners 10 CITY OF ITHACA 310 West Green Street Ithaca, New York 14850 -5497 OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF Telephone: 607/272 -1234 Fax: 607/272 -2793 MEMORANDUM To: Board of Fire Commissioners From: Tom Parsons, Fire Chief Date: December 10th, 2013 Re: Fire Chief s Monthly Report for November 2013 ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION Administration 1) Career Personnel Report PERSONNEL STAFFING LEVELS 1 Chief 1 Deputy Chief (per diem) 4 Assistant Chiefs 9 Lieutenants 46 Fire Fighters 61 Uniform Personnel 1 Administrative Coordinator Total employees as of November 30th, 2013 — 62 a) Hiring /Recruitment Committee • Vacancy Committee Review scheduled for December 20th, 2013 b) Retirements: • Firefighter Michael Hagin submitted his letter of intent to retire on December 22nd, 2013. • Firefighter Albert Foote retired on November 17th, 2013. • Firefighter James Crowley retired on November 6th, 2013 • Assistant Chief Willis Sheldon retired on September 30th, 2013. C) Promotions: Page 2 of 6 - Fire Chief's Monthly Report e) Vacancies: • No Report December 10th, 2013 I have submitted a request to fill the Assistant Chief's position created by Assistant Chief Sheldon's retirement. I have also requested to back fill the Lieutenant and Firefighter positions caused by the promotion. • I have submitted requests to fill the Firefighter positions created by the retirements of Firefighter Foote, and Firefighter Hagin. 2) Budget Status a) 2013 Budget: Included with this report is an update on the department budget through November 30th, 2013. We are running an estimated $140,000 deficit in our personnel lines due to retirement buyouts and covering the salary of a firefighter who was budgeted to only work four months, but worked 11 months due to an unforeseen delay in his retirement. We will be transferring unused funds and savings in other accounts to cover most, if not all, of the deficit. b) Capital Budget — The roof replacement for Central Station is complete. The roof replacement of the rear roof at Station 9 is complete. The HVAC work at Central Station is complete. The Solar Panel installation has been completed. C) 2014 Budget: The Mayor's 2014 Budget was approved on November 12th, 2013, with only a few minor changes, none of which affect the fire department. 3) County Communications and 911 Programs: a) Christina Dravis, the new 911 Center Communications Manager, will begin work for Tompkins County beginning in January. Ms. Dravis will be moving to Ithaca later this month. 4) Grants and Donations a) On December 6th, 2013, I submitted an application for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG). We've applied for funds to provide hardware and software for incident command training of our officers. b) On August 30th, 2013, I submitted an application for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER). We are waiting to hear if we are going to receive an award. Page 3 of 6 - Fire Chief's Monthly Report 5) Resource Recovery Legislation December 10th, 2013 a) Upon the request of Common Council, I have drafted the framework for a false alarm ordinance. The ordinance would require the registration of all fire alarm systems in the City of Ithaca, and the ordinance would have fees for excessive false alarms. I presented information to the City Administration Committee on November 25th, 2013. The City Administration Committee did not recommend moving forward with an ordinance. There were concerns about the impact it would have on private business owners. I will be looking at other means to curb the number of false and nuisance alarms and report back to the City Administration Committee in the spring. 6) City Charter Update a) No Report Operations 1) Mutual Aid Calls: Fire Prevention Bureau Quarterly Report LIFE SAFETY DIVISION 1) Code Enforcement Division: The following is a list of November activities - Complaints Received: 22 Referred to the City Building Division 14 Referred to the Town of Ithaca 2 Inspections: 55 City Fire Safety & Property Maintenance 34 Town Fire Safety & Property Maintenance 12 City - Sprinkler Inspections 2 City — Alternative Fire Protection 0 City - Fire Alarm Inspections 4 City - Standpipe Flow Test 3 Permits or Certificates: 41 Operating Permit — Assembly Occupancy 16 Operating Permit — Hazardous Occupancy 1 Operating Permit — Lumber Yard 0 Operating Permit — Elevator 12 Operating Permit — Fireworks 0 Page 4 of 6 - Fire Chief's Monthly Report December 10th, 2013 Certificate of Compliance - Occupancy 8 Certificate of Compliance - Fire Alarm 2 Certificate of Compliance - Fire Sprinkler 1 Certificate of Compliance — Fire Standpipe 1 Certificate of Compliance - Alternative Suppression 0 2) Fire Investigation Unit: There was one fire investigation in November for a fire that occurred in the Town of Ithaca, at 301 Maple Avenue. The cause of the fire was accidental by smoking materials. 3) Public Education and Special Events: Public Education Events: 2 Fire Drills Witnessed: 0 Child Safety Seat Inspections: 4 4) Town of Ithaca: No Report 5) City of Ithaca: No Report Page 5 of 6 - Fire Chief's Monthly Report OPERATIONS DIVISION Response 1) November 2013 Responses City of Ithaca: 286 Incidents (71.68 %) Fires: 3 Overpressure /Rupture 0 EMS/Rescue: 120 Hazardous Conditions: 19 Service Calls: 14 Good Intent: 33 Alarms/No Fires: 97 Severe Weather: 0 Town of Ithaca: 107 Incidents (26.82 %) Fires: 3 Overpressure/Rupture 0 EMS/Rescue: 66 Hazardous Conditions: 3 Service Calls: 1 Good Intent: 18 Alarms/No Fires: 16 Severe Weather: 0 Mutual Aid: 6 Incident (1.50 %) Fires: 2 Overpressure /Rupture 0 EMS/Rescue: 2 Hazardous Conditions: 1 Service Calls: 0 Good Intent: 1 Alarms/No Fires: 0 Severe Weather: 0 December 10th, 2013 2) Emergency Management: Later this week, we are meeting with Tompkins County's Exercise and Development Team to discuss joint training to be provided to both County and City Staffs. The objectives of the joint training is so we can have City and County Employees used to working across jurisdictional boundaries assisting each other, as well has prepare both County and City for future joint training and exercises. Support 1) Training Center Page 6 of 6 - Fire Chief's Monthly Report Quarterly Report 2) Apparatus and Facilities No Report Training Quarterly Report Volunteer Recruitment and Retention 1) Summaries of Service Hours: Quarterly Report December 10th, 2013 2) There are currently 14 Active Volunteer Firefighters and Fire Police 3) Requests from Company Members to become active: No Requests Received