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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BFC-2014-01-14CITY OF ITHACA BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS MEETING MINUTES January 14, 2014 Present: Chair Gilligan Commissioners Ellsworth, Hoard, Sparks Fire Chief Parsons City Alderperson Fleming Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 1635 hours II. Approval of Minutes: Approval of the November 12, 2013 Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes - Resolution By Commissioner Sparks: Seconded by Commissioner Ellsworth RESOLVED, That the minutes of the November 12, 2013 Board of Fire Commissioners meeting be approved with noted corrections. Carried Unanimously Approval of the December 10, 2013 Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes - Resolution By Commissioner Hoard: Seconded by Commissioner Gilligan RESOLVED, that the minutes of the December 10, 2013 Board of Fire Commissioners meeting be approved as published. Carried Unanimously 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. Raymond Wheaton addressed the Board to express his concern regarding the 2% funds returned by the de- activated Volunteer Fire Companies to the City Chamberlain or directly to the IVVFA and Company 9 — specifically he was concerned as to the amount returned by Company 4 and suggested that a detailed review of their use of 2% funds should be conducted to confirm that the amount returned was correct. V. Correspondence: A. Chair Gilligan reported that the bank statement from Tompkins Trust Company for the Rescue Squad Donation Fund dated December 31, 2013 had a beginning balance of $1,843.12; the account earned $0.12 interest so the ending balance was $1,8043.24. B. Chair Gilligan reported that the bank statement from Tompkins Trust Company for the donation fund dated December 31, 2013 had a beginning balance of $1,058.51 and an ending balance of $1,058.51 reflecting no activity. Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes January 14, 2014 VI. Membership Changes: Chair Gilligan reported that an application for new volunteer member had been received and would be forwarded to the Volunteer recruitment and review committee for follow -up. VII. Miscellaneous Reports: A. Town of Ithaca — No Report — done quarterly, due in February 2014. B. City of Ithaca — No report — done quarterly, due in February 2014. C. Audit: Invoices not available - City Controller's office completing 2013 year end financial closing activities. VIII. Department Reports: A. Chief Parsons highlighted the following items from his monthly report attached to the minutes of this meeting: Retirements in 2013 have left 3 vacancies to be filled. Interviews are in process to fill the Assistant Chief /Municipal Training Officer (MTO) position as an internal promotion. This will create an opening for a lieutenant's position also to be filled as a promotion. Three fire fighters will be hired to fill these vacancies. Fire Department budget — The 2013 budget is expected to close within the overall funding level approved for the department. Deficits in the personnel lines as result of a delayed retirement are expected to be offset by savings in other categories. It is expected that the final closing for the 2013 budget will be completed in February. 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 9 -1 -1 Communication Center, Christina Davis, began work on January 6, 2014. A grant application was submitted in August to support recruitment and training for Bunkers and volunteers. Another grant application was submitted in November for the purchase of hybrid software for incident command for officers False Fire Alarm Ordinance — the Chief worked with the city attorney's office to draft a comprehensive ordinance. Common Council had concerns about impacts on private businesses and did not support the ordinance going forward. This item will be revisited later in the Spring. A question was asked about fire inspections and safety in the area near Tabor Street known as "The Jungle ". The Chief reported that it is a challenging issue to deal with since a number of people live or congregate in the area and use open fires to provide warmth. The Mayor has indicated that it is a priority to move people out of this area into a safer environment. 2 Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes January 14, 2014 B. Fire Police Report: Fire Police Monthly Report January 14, 2014 Fire Police training was held on December 17, 2013. The topic was cold weather awareness. This past month has been a very busy month for both the Department and the Fire Police unit. There were multiple fires requiring traffic control. The fire on Hector Street resulted in Fire Police member Jack Gould being struck and injured by a motor vehicle hitting him. Monday January 6 and Saturday January 11 saw most of our Fire Police being utilized for traffic control around flooded areas in the Fall Creek area. Some members were on scene from 9:00 AM until 7:00 PM Monday. Again Saturday we were activated around 2:00 PM until 8:00 PM. Neighbors provided coffee and Danish on Monday and warm cookies and donuts on Saturday. The Department also provided coffee and food on both days. Our next training is scheduled for Tuesday January 21, 2014. Subject to be determined. Respectfully submitted, Dave Cornelius IX. Old Business: A. Update on Funds Requested by City Chamberlain from Former Volunteer Companies: A summary of the funds received from each company will be provided at the February meeting. B. Volunteer Recruitment Items /Issues: A working draft of the volunteer handbook includes the current requirements for new volunteers. It is expected that once the new MTO /Assistant Chief has been appointed, training plans for new volunteers can be developed. C. Board Meeting Schedule — it was decided that the Board meetings would be scheduled to begin at 4 pm beginning with the February 11, 2014 meeting through the June 2014 meeting. The regular monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. X. New Business: None XI. Adjournment: On a motion the meeting was adjourned at 1716 hours. William Gilligan, Chair Board of Fire Commissioners