HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BFC-2010-11-09ITHACA BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS
NOVEMBER 9, 2010
AGENDA
I. CALL TO ORDER
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
III. ADDITIONS /DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA
IV. PERSONS WISHING TO SPEAK TO BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS
V. CORRESPONDENCE
VI. MEMBERSHIP CHANGES
VII. MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS:
A. TOWN OF ITHACA
B. CITY OF ITHACA
C. AUDIT
VIII. DEPARTMENT REPORTS:
A. CHIEF and DEPUTY CHIEF REPORTS
B. FIRE PREVENTION
- Codes Division
- Fire Investigation Unit
- Juvenile Firesetters Program
- Public Education
C. FIRE POLICE REPORT
IX. OLD BUSINESS
X. NEW BUSINESS
XI. EXECUTIVE SESSION
XII. ADJOURN
BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS
OCTOBER 12, 2010
MINUTES
Present: Commissioners Gilligan, Hoard, Kelly and Ellsworth.
Chair Gilligan called the meeting to order at 1805 hrs.
II. Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Comm. Kelly to approve the
minutes of the August 10, 2010 BFC meeting. Seconded by Comm. Hoard
and approved unanimously.
III. Additions /Deletions to the Agenda:
Under Old Business:
Traffic Calming Updates
Department Activity Reports
Under New Business:
Budget Update
Filling BOFC Vacancy
Memorial Status
IV. Persons wishing to speak to the Board of Fire Commissioners:
Ray Wheaton asked the Board to look into the ownership of the bell at
Thompson Park. There has been some vandalism and the plaque has been
lost. The structure is in poor shape. Ray would like to see the bell moved to a
safer location.
Ray also addressed the Memorial Service which had been scheduled for
Saturday, October 16, 2010. Due to an apparent lack of interest and
participation, it has been canceled. He indicated that plans were still in place
for a more informal service to be held on December 7, 2010 as a memorial to
the firefighters who died in the Chi Psi fire. Ray requested that members of
the Board attend if possible.
Chair Gilligan thanked Ray Wheaton and Lyman Baker for their efforts over
the years in organizing the Memorial Service held annually to recognize those
who had served the community in the past, but who died over the last year.
BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS
OCTOBER 12, 2010
PAGE 2
V. Correspondence:
$100 donation was received from J. Meigs and a donation of $100 was
received from Stanley Hawkins in memory of George Carver.
Statement from Tompkins Trust Rescue Fund showed a balance of $1,336.03
as of September 30, 2010.
Statement from Tompkins Trust Donation Fund showed a balance of $487.82
as of August 31, 2010 and $462.82 as of September 30, 2010 (after a $25
donation for lawn maintenance at Lakeview Cemetery where one of the
firefighters killed in the 1907 Chi Psi fire is buried).
VI. Membership:
None
VII. Miscellaneous Reports:
Town — None (no meeting)
City — None (no meeting)
Audit — Completed
VIII. Department Reports:
A. Acting Chief /Deputy Chief Report: (see complete written report in the
Minute Book). Acting Chief Tom Dorman offered highlights of his report
and answered questions as follows:
Personnel Staffing Levels:
Two fire fighters are on job related injury leave. One fire fighter is on
administrative leave.
Two fire fighters and one Lieutenant have handed in their retirement. This
will leave the Department down 6 active duty personnel at the first of the
year.
BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS
OCTOBER 12, 2010
PAGE 3
The Department has decided to use the current PPA (Physical
Performance Assessment) test as an evaluation tool for applicants being
considered for hire. Passing the PPA would no longer be a requirement
for being hired as a fire fighter. Civil Service is on board with this
decision. A fire fighter eventually has to pass a CPAT exam (similar to
the PPA) which is generally administered at the Fire Academy as part of
the Recruit Fire Fighter training.
Budget Status of Current year expenditures — the Department is on track
with the 2010 Budget. Everything is well within range
The Mayor's 2011 budget has been presented. The Mayor has included 6
month's salary for a new Chief. The Fire Alarm Superintendant will be
funded for 9 months. When the new Chief is hired, Lt. Gillian Haines -
Sharp will go back to regular shift. The two fire fighter positions will
remain unfunded for 2011. If the Department can show that costs are
down, we might be able to hire a new fire fighter sooner.
Fire Prevention Bureau has been left intact in the budget being presented
to Common Council. The Department is very reluctant to reduce FPB
because it would be difficult to re -staff once the positions have been
eliminated.
County Communication Meeting:
There will be a meeting on October 25, 2010, to discuss with various
officials, issues related to the operation of the County Dispatch (911
Center) as it effects the City Fire and Police operations.
Grants and Donations:
No updates
City Charter:
No updates
BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONRS
OCTOBER 12, 2010
PAGE 4
As of Friday, October 15, 2010 Acting Chief Dorman will be on vacation
and DC Parson will be covering the Department in his absence.
B. Fire Prevention Bureau: (see complete written report in the Minute Book).
Deputy Chief Tom Parsons offered highlights of his report and answered
questions as follows:
There were two major fires in August as well as some smaller fires — that
were investigated.
Mutual Aid was provided for a car accident.
The Department continues to take calls and make appointments for safety
seat installations.
On September 29, 2010 a new fire code came into effect. In the past when
there has been a major code revision, books were provided by the State.
However, now they are only available for an additional charge. As a
result, there is a shortage of code books. About half of the staff has gone
through the transition training.
C. Fire Police: Dave Cornelius offered highlights and answered questions as
follows:
New rain suits have been handed out.
The next meeting will be on October 19, 2010.
IX. Old Business
Traffic Calming — a letter has been finalized and will be sent to the Mayor and
the other members of the Board of Public Works regarding the devices at
South and Wood Streets.
Activity Reports:
Incident Reports — Greater break down on page 3.
BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS
OCTOBER 12, 2010
PAGE 5
Chair Gilligan asked if it was possible to provide a graphical summary of the
calls listed by geographic area and type of call. DC Parsons answered that it
would take quite a lot of work, since the reporting software available with the
incident database is unable to do it.
Development continues in both the City and Town of Ithaca. More
apartments are going in at Seneca and Meadow St. Projects are underway in
several areas of the Town. The volume of calls is expected to grow with the
growth of population in these areas.
X. New Business
Memorial Service:
The Board would like to see it continue, however, it was recognized that there
is no organization that is tasked with organizing the memorial and it has
occurred in the past, primarily due to the efforts and commitment of a few
individuals. Ray Wheaton said that the December service may end up being
the "New" Memorial.
Budget for 2011:
There was a brief follow -up discussion on the 2011 budget, in addition to the
items discussed on the Fire Chief s report. There are three other City
Departments scheduled on the same day, but, IFD is the only large
Department scheduled that day. Acting Chief Dorman stated that they are
trying to work within the budget without laying anyone off. The Town
received some relief by open positions not being filled.
XI. Executive Session:
The Board went into an Executive Session at 1915 hrs to discuss personnel
issues. No actions were taken. The executive session ended at 1934 hrs.
BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS
OCTOBER 12, 2010
PAGE 6
Hearing no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1935 hrs.
Respectfully submitted,
Randy L. Flynn, Clerk
Board of Fire Commissioners
(Minutes will be reviewed at the November 9, 2010 meeting)
Monthly Report of the Fire Chief to the Board of Fire Commissioners, for the November 2010,
meeting. Combined Chief's and Deputy Chief Operations Report
LIFE SAFETY DIVISION
Administration
1) Career Personnel Report
PERSONNEL STAFFING LEVELS
1 Acting Chief
1 Deputy Chief
5 Assistant Chiefs
9 Lieutenants
51 Fire Fighters
67 On duty personnel
2 Fire Fighters on Injury Leave
1 Fire Fighter on Administrative Leave
1 Fire Alarm Superintendent
1 Office Manager
1 Administrative Assistant
05 Financial Clerk
Total employees as of 11 /01 /10 — 73.5
Open positions — Chief
One Fire Fighter will be on a leave of absence for part of 2011. I will present the Mayor
with financial information in an attempt to get 1 -2 new hires into the Feb 2011 Recruit
School.
2) Budget Status
a) Account balances for 2010 are included.
Fire Chief's Report for November 2010
3)
4)
5)
6)
County Communications and 911 Program
05 NOV ]0
Page 2 of 3
a) The City met with the County on Oct. 25th and the City representatives met on
Nov. 8th. I will provide a verbal report on these meetings.
Grants and Donations
a) Assistance to Firefighter Grants (AFG): All of the paperwork to receive this grant
for in- vehicle repeaters is filed. We are awaiting transfer of the money. We will
be preparing a specification for bid.. [same report as last month]
b) Training Center Project Funding: I have met with the City Attorney and the
Director of Planning. We continue to research this issue.. [same report as last
month]
Resource Recovery Legislation
I will be meeting with the new Assistant City Attorney soon to brief her on all IFD
matters that are pending.
City Charter Update
I have forwarded the Board's report on Charter Revisions to Alderman Dan Cogan, Chair
of the Charter Revision committee. [same report as last month]
7) Traffic Calming
No updates
Operations
1) Mutual Aid Calls: Quarterly Report
2) Selected Calls —
On October 13 "' at 0916 hours, A Shift responded to a report of fire on the
Commons. All units and off -duty personnel were called to battle a fire in the
basement of 126 -128 E. State St. Everyone did an excellent job preventing the
spread of this fire which could have easily spread to other buildings. Only two
businesses were forced to close.
3) Support
a) Station 9 /CUPD project — I have contacted Cornell Police Chief Kathy
Zoner to see if she is still interested in pursuing this project. [same
report as last month]
Fire Chief's Report for November 2010
05 NOV 10
Page 3 of 3
Fire Prevention Bureau
1) Please see Deputy Fire Chief Parson's report of Fire Prevention Bureau activities
Safety Section
OPERATIONS DIVISION
Response
1) Quarterly Call Report
2) Emergency Management
We continue research into the emergency response aspects associated with natural gas
well drilling. This work is for the entire County. [same report as last month]
Support
1) Training Center
a) Quarterly Report
Training
1) Quarterly Report
2) All shifts have completed an 8 hour Diversity Awareness training conducted by Dr
Wright.
Recruitment and Retention
1) See DC Parsons report
2) Summaries of Service Hours:
Quarterly Report
Respectfully submitted,
J. Thomas Dorman, Acting Fire Chief
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
November 9th, 2010
Board of Fire Commissioners
Ithaca Fire Department
310 W Green St
Ithaca, NY 14850
Dear Board Members:
The following is the Fire Marshal's report for October 2010.
Code Enforcement Division:
The Codes Enforcement Division received 30 complaints in the month October. There
were 4 complaints were forwarded to the City of Ithaca Building Department; 1
complaint was forwarded to the Town of Ithaca; 5 complaints were forwarded to the
Ithaca City School District; and 1 complaint was forwarded to the Tompkins County
Health Department. There were 31 complaints closed out, and 22 complaints remain
open for October and previous months.
The Code Enforcement Division performed 67 Fire Safety and Property Maintenance
Inspections or Re- inspections. The Division also witnessed 6 Fire Alarm Tests, 1
Standpipe Flow Test witnessed, and 5 Hydrostatic Sprinkler System Tests. There were 96
violations cited.
The Code Enforcement Division issued: 9 operating permits for assembly occupancies; 7
certificates of compliance for fire and property maintenance inspections; 1 operating
permit of a hazardous occupancy; and 1 certificate of compliance for a fire alarm system.
Fire Investigation Unit:
There were two fire investigations performed in October. The first was for the fire that
occurred at 126 -128 E. State St. The cause of the fire was accidental. The second
investigation was for a small incendiary fire that occurred at 111 Dryden Rd. in the City
of Ithaca. The cause of the fire was incendiary. A person was arrested and charged for
setting the fire
Public Education:
There were 6 Child Safety Seat Inspections; and 6 Public Education Activities performed;
by the department in October.
`An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification." 4-13. ,
Fire Marshal's Report for October 2010— Page 2
Municipal Box Alarm System
As of this date, 63 of 225 Municipal Fire Alarm Boxes have been removed from service.
The process has taken much longer than we had expected, but we are coming up on a
December 3rd dead line when we will need to have things taken off line in preparation of
Tompkins County switching to a new Computer Aided Dispatch System on December
6`". Letters are going out this week to all the property owners who have not gotten
switched off the system to make them aware of this up coming deadline.
Respectfully Submitted,
(? hmw
C Thomas Parsons
Deputy Fire Chief / Fire Marshal
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
For adoption at the 09 NOV 10 Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting:
Whereas the Ithaca Fire Department has accumulated a large quantity of used personal
protective equipment (PPE), and whereas all of this equipment will never be issued to
members of the Ithaca Fire Department because it was all manufactured more than ten
years ago and thus must be retired in keeping with NFPA 1851 and
Whereas the Ithaca Fire Department shall continue to accumulate stocks of outdated PPE
every year, therefore let it
Be resolved that the above described equipment be declared surplus, that it be also
understood that future accumulations of outdated PPE shall also be surplus and that
The Ithaca Fire Department shall dispose of current and future accumulations of outdated
and surplus PPE in any legal and financially responsible manner as it sees fit to do so.
Respectfully submitted,
Christopher O'Connor
Fire Lieutenant
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Boarrd of Fire Commissioners
Report to Ithaca Town Board
October 18, 2010
The following is a summary of the Board of Fire Commissioners quarterly report to the Ithaca
Town Board:
• Included with this report are: the Fire Chief's Report from the Oct. 12, BFC meeting; IFD
Revenue /Expense Report for September (YTD); and department Call activity reports YTD
through the 3rd quarter of 2010.
• The vacant City Fire Commissioner's position on the Board of Fire Commissioners
continues to create a problem for the Board. In September, 1 member was ill and another
was out of town, so the meeting was canceled and we were unable to reschedule the
meeting. The Board did meet on October 12 with all members present.
• Fire Chief Hiring process — a national search is underway. The search committee has not met
at this point.
• Fire Fighter Hiring — the department has decided to continue using its in -house Physical
Performance Assessment (PPA) test. This will be used as an evaluation tool not as a
mandatory factor in determining a candidates hiring eligibility. CPAT, a nationally
recognized physical performance exam was being considered as an alternative, but this did
not appear to be a viable option. The CPAT is administered during recruit training by the
Fire Academy.
• Meeting regarding County Dispatch- a meeting will be held in October to discuss issues
related to the operation of the County Dispatch Office. This has been organized by the
Mayor. Department personnel will be involved in the meeting.
• Department Call /Activity Report: The Department has prepared geographic breakdowns of
incidents and responses (3,664 alarms YTD). In response to the discussion at the August
Town Board Meeting, the activity reports have been modified to respond to some of the
issues and questions raised by Town Board members. The software used to produce these
reports is still being explored to determine how much customization is possible in the reports
and graphs that can be provided. The Department does not respond to all calls that Bangs is
dispatched to, but based on the protocol used by the County Dispatch office does respond to
life threatening and emergency medical situations.
Fire Police Activity: The Fire Police, consisting of six to nine active members, are utilized to
provide traffic control at various accidents, fire sites, or situations such as those involving
downed power lines. This leaves other staff free to respond directly to emergencies. Foul
weather /raingear has been distributed to the Fire Police volunteers. The group generally
meets monthly for training or to address other issues.
Boarrd of Fire Commissioners
Report to Ithaca Town Board
October 18, 2010
The following is a summary of the Board of Fire Commissioners quarterly report to the Ithaca
Town Board:
• Included with this report are: the Fire Chief s Report from the Oct. 12, BFC meeting; IFD
Revenue /Expense Report for September (YTD); and department Call activity reports YTD
through the 3rd quarter of 2010.
• The vacant City Fire Commissioner's position on the Board of Fire Commissioners
continues to create a problem for the Board. In September, 1 member was ill and another
was out of town, so the meeting was canceled and we were unable to reschedule the
meeting. The Board did meet on October 12 with all members present.
• Fire Chief Hiring process — a national search is underway. The search committee has not met
at this point.
• Fire Fighter Hiring — the department has decided to continue using its in -house Physical
Performance Assessment (PPA) test. This will be used as an evaluation tool not as a
mandatory factor in determining a candidates hiring eligibility. CPAT, a nationally
recognized physical performance exam was being considered as an alternative, but this did
not appear to be a viable option. The CPAT is administered during recruit training by the
Fire Academy.
• Meeting regarding County Dispatch- a meeting will be held in October to discuss issues
related to the operation of the County Dispatch Office. This has been organized by the
Mayor. Department personnel will be involved in the meeting.
• Department Call /Activity Report: The Department has prepared geographic breakdowns of
incidents and responses (3,664 alarms YTD). In response to the discussion at the August
Town Board Meeting, the activity reports have been modified to respond to some of the
issues and questions raised by Town Board members. The software used to produce these
reports is still being explored to determine how much customization is possible in the reports
and graphs that can be provided. The Department does not respond to all calls that Bangs is
dispatched to, but based on the protocol used by the County Dispatch office does respond to
life threatening and emergency medical situations.
Fire Police Activity: The Fire Police, consisting of six to nine active members, are utilized to
provide traffic control at various accidents, fire sites, or situations such as those involving
downed power lines. This leaves other staff free to respond directly to emergencies. Foul
weather /raingear has been distributed to the Fire Police volunteers. The group generally
meets monthly for training or to address other issues.
BFC Report to Town of Ithaca Board 9 August 2010
Items in progress:
• Traffic calming device remediation. — The Board of Fire Commissioners has written to the
Board of Public works requesting that they review and hopefully modify the traffic calming
devices located on Wood and South Street.
• Resource Recovery: A proposal waiting review by City Attorney's office -iring-of-
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• Charter revision: Some minor aspects of the Board's responsibilities have been
recommended for revision. There is a larger question on the role of the Board that should
also be addressed in considering charter revisions to the City Charter.
• 2011 Fire Department Budget: The Mayor's budget for the Fire Department was reviewed
by Common Council on October 14th. A copy of this was sent directly to the Town Board.
The Budget does not include any increase for a new contract with the Fire Fighters
and Officers (Assistant Chiefs and Lieutenants) Union. This contract is currently under
negotiation. The Mayor's budget did not provide funding to fill the positions of 2 firefighters
who will be retiring, by December 31, 2010. A retiring lieutenant's position will be filled by
moving a lieutenant temporarily added to the Codes Enforcement Division back to a shift
assignment beginning in 2011. The Fire Chief's position is budgeted to be filled for %2 year,
beginning in July 2011. The Alarm Superintendent's position is budgeted for 3/ of the year
and scheduled to be eliminated beginning in the fourth quarter of 2011. There are currently 2
firefighters out on disability leave and a 3rd on administrative leave. Acting Chief Dorman is
expected to retire in November 2011.
Respectfully Submitted,
Bill Gilligan
Chair, Board of Fire Commissioners
Page 2
Boarrd of Fire Commissioners
Report to Ithaca Town Board
October 18, 2010
The following is a summary of the Board of Fire Commissioners quarterly report to the Ithaca
Town Board:
• Included with this report are: the Fire Chief's Report from the Oct. 12, BFC meeting; IFD
Revenue /Expense Report for September (YTD); and department Call activity reports YTD
through the 3rd quarter of 2010.
• The vacant City Fire Commissioner's position on the Board of Fire Commissioners
continues to create a problem for the Board. In September, 1 member was ill and another
was out of town, so the meeting was canceled and we were unable to reschedule the
meeting. The Board did meet on October 12 with all members present.
• Fire Chief Hiring process — a national search is underway. The search committee has not met
at this point.
• Fire Fighter Hiring — the department has decided to continue using its in -house Physical
Performance Assessment (PPA) test. This will be used as an evaluation tool not as a
mandatory factor in determining a candidates hiring eligibility. CPAT, a nationally
recognized physical performance exam was being considered as an alternative, but this did
not appear to be a viable option. The CPAT is administered during recruit training by the
Fire Academy.
• Meeting regarding County Dispatch- a meeting will be held in October to discuss issues
related to the operation of the County Dispatch Office. This has been organized by the
Mayor. Department personnel will be involved in the meeting.
• Department Call /Activity Report: The Department has prepared geographic breakdowns of
incidents and responses (3,664 alarms YTD). In response to the discussion at the August
Town Board Meeting, the activity reports have been modified to respond to some of the
issues and questions raised by Town Board members. The software used to produce these
reports is still being explored to determine how much customization is possible in the reports
and graphs that can be provided. The Department does not respond to all calls that Bangs is
dispatched to, but based on the protocol used by the County Dispatch office does respond to
life threatening and emergency medical situations.
• Fire Police Activity: The Fire Police, consisting of six to nine active members, are utilized to
provide traffic control at various accidents, fire sites, or situations such as those involving
downed power lines. This leaves other staff free to respond directly to emergencies. Foul
weather /raingear has been distributed to the Fire Police volunteers. The group generally
meets monthly for training or to address other issues.
BFC Report to Town of Ithaca Board 9 August 2010
Items in progress:
• Traffic calming device remediation. — The Board of Fire Commissioners has written to the
Board of Public works requesting that they review and hopefully modify the traffic calming
devices located on Wood and South Street.
• Resource Recovery: A proposal waiting review by City Attorney's office - daxg�ririn
• Charter revision: Some minor aspects of the Board's responsibilities have been
recommended for revision. There is a larger question on the role of the Board that should
also be addressed in considering charter revisions to the City Charter.
• 2011 Fire Department Budget: The Mayor's budget for the Fire Department was reviewed
by Common Council on October 14th. A copy of this was sent directly to the Town Board.
The Budget does not include any increase for a new contract with the Fire Fighters
and Officers (Assistant Chiefs and Lieutenants) Union. This contract is currently under
negotiation. The Mayor's budget did not provide funding to fill the positions of 2 firefighters
who will be retiring, by December 31, 2010. A retiring lieutenant's position will be filled by
moving a lieutenant temporarily added to the Codes Enforcement Division back to a shift
assignment beginning in 2011. The Fire Chief's position is budgeted to be filled for t/z year,
beginning in July 2011. The Alarm Superintendent's position is budgeted for 3/ of the year
and scheduled to be eliminated beginning in the fourth quarter of 2011. There are currently 2
firefighters out on disability leave and a 3rd on administrative leave. Acting Chief Dorman is
expected to retire in November 2011.
Respectfully Submitted,
Bill Gilligan
Chair, Board of Fire Commissioners
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