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Home My WebLink AboutMN-BFC-2005-03-15CITY OF ITHACA 310 WEST GREEN STREET ITHACA, NEW YORK 14850 OFFICE OF TEL (607) 272 -1234 BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS FAX (607) 272 -2793 PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE ITHACA BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS WILL BE TUESDAY, MARCH 1511, 2005 AT 6 PM (one week later than the regularly scheduled date) AT THE ITHACA CENTRAL FIRE STATION 310 WEST GREEN ST., ITHACA, NY. "An Equal Opportunity Employer with an Affirmative Action Program" 0 Recycled Paper ITHACA BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS MARCH 15, 2005 MINUTES PRESENT: Commissioners Romanowski, Seligmann, Alexander, Kirkpatrick. and Williams. Chair Romanowski called the meeting to order at 1800 hrs. Chair Romanowski introduced and welcomed newly appointed City of Ithaca Representative Steven Williams. Comm. Williams is a Code Enforcement Officer for the Town of Ithaca. Chair Romanowski noted that this is the first time in more than 3 years that Board had full membership! II. Chair Romanowski made a motion to approve the minutes of the December 14, 2004 and January 11, 2005 (there was no meeting in February 2005) meetings as written. Seconded by Comm. Seligmann. Carried. (Comm. Williams abstained) III. Additions /Deletions to the Agenda: - Chair Romanowski - add to New Business: $10.00 dues to CNYFA; - Comm. Kirkpatrick - add to New Business: Discussion of the overtime account. IV. Persons wishing to speak to Board of Fire Commissioners - None V. Correspondence - None VI. Membership Changes - Chair Romanowski made a motion to approve the list of membership changes (see attached). Seconded by Comm. Kirkpatrick. Carried Unanimously. VII. Miscellaneous Reports: A. Chair Romanowski provided a written copy of Comm. Kirkpatrick's report to the Town of Ithaca (see copy in Minute Book); B. Audit - reviewed by Chair Romanowski and Comm. Kirkpatrick; C. Tompkins County Fire Advisory Board - no report VIII. Department Reports: ITHACA BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS JANUARY 11, 2005 - MINUTES PAGE 2 A. Chief's Report (see complete written report in Minute Book) Chief Wilbur highlighted his report and answered question as follows: - The Chief and Board members had a lengthy discussion regarding the IFD Staffing Resolution that was written as a result of meetings the Chief has had with the Ithaca Volunteer Firefighter's Unit, the Mayor, City Controller and David Whitmore at the City's Community Services Committee of Common Council regarding the financial requirements it would take to continue the volunteer and bunker recruitment and training program for 2005. The Board of Fire Commissioners is being asked to consider the resolution to either adopt, approve, or hold back. If approved, the next step would be to submit the resolution to the City Administration Committee being held later this month. Chief Wilbur reminded the Board that funding for the additional staffing and overtime funding needed to continue recruitment and training of volunteers and bunkers was eliminated from the 2005 budget; and Common Council liaison Robin Korherr also reminded the Board that Chief Wilbur was told by Council at that time, that they (Council) would consider requests for additional staffing on a case -by- cases basis. The resolution calls for about $120,000 which includes a Municipal Training Office and overtime costs for staff to conduct the Bunker Basic Training Program. Chief Wilbur also reminded the Board that if approved, would also require the approval from the Town of Ithaca for additional personnel. The Chief feels the proposal should be dealt with in the Strategic Planning process as it is a piece of a bigger picture - he is not optimistic that this will be funded by the City at this time. The Board asked about the role of the Municipal Training Office as it relates to volunteer and bunker training. Chief Wilbur described the whole department's need for a consistent and efficient training component, as well as the need to have a dedicated Volunteer ITHACA BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS JANUARY 11, 2005 - MINUTES PAGE 3 Coordinator if we are to continue. We currently don't have enough staff to do everything that is required; and, the window of opportunity for recruitment of bunkers for this coming Fall has just about two weeks left - at this time, even with basic recruiting effort, we only have two applicants. Chair Romanowski (as the rest of the Board) feel that we need to continue to put this in front of Council to let them know that we are not giving up. With a minor modification, Chair Romanowski made a motion to approve the Ithaca Fire Department Staffing Resolution, and directs Chief Wilbur to present the request to the City Administration Committee of Common Council, with a copy to the Town of Ithaca. Seconded by Comm. Kirkpatrick. The motion carried (Comm. Williams abstained as he es brand new to the needs of the dept.). B. Deputy Chief's Report (DC Dorman was not at the meeting - see complete written report in the Minute Book). C. Fire Prevention Bureau (see complete written report in the Minute Book). Assistant Chief Parsons was on hand to answer questions. IX. Old Business - Strategic Planning - a lengthy discussion followed - highlights as follows: Board members asked Chief Wilbur what the Board's role would be in the Strategic Planning process. Chief Wilbur reported the Board will be the receiver of information and reports from the different groups - for consideration and adoption. Chief Wilbur's biggest problem right now is lack of overtime funds to fund meetings with the Assistant Chiefs as they have been defined as the "working group" - their first task was to be to propose the ITHACA BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS JANUARY 11, 2005 - MINUTES PAGE 4 stakeholder's list - they would bring the list to the Board for approval; however, due to various emergencies and early in the year, the overtime budget has been reduced significantly. Chair Romanowski asked the Chief to describe controls on use of overtime. Chief Wilbur described the various uses of overtime - mostly used to maintain minimum staffing; unusual operations like severe weather - flooding, significant fires ; currently down 6 firefighters due to extended illnesses or injury; occasionally used to complete reports - not the normal. Chief Wilbur describes the situation as dismal for attempting to accomplish a task that would help define the current state and a look to the future for the Department. Comm. Kirkpatrick noted that since plan for Strategic Planning that was we are only on Pane #2 (of 16). the presentation of the conceptual introduced by the Chief in January, Chief Wilbur doesn't know any way to get out of the overtime program - if we can't figure out a way, he doesn't know how to proceed. In discussing the changes in the department and the need to develop a plan for the future, Assistant Chief Parsons reported that not only is there development on Elmira Rd., but development in the Town of Ithaca is moving even faster. Businesses don't necessarily tend to increase our call volume significantly, but development of residential areas does. X. New Business: - The discussion of the overtime account that Comm. Kirkpatrick wanted already took place during the Strategic Planning discussion above. - Chair Romanowski made a motion to approve payment of $10.00 for dues to the Central New York Firemen's Association (from the Donation Account). Seconded by Comm. Alexander. Carried unanimously. ITHACA BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS JANUARY 11, 2005 - MINUTES PAGE 5 XI. Hearing no other business, the meeting adjourned at 1845 hrs. Respectfully submitted, f Christine M. Wilbur, Clerk J (Minutes will be reviewed for approval at the April 12, 2005 meeting) p ITHACA BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS MARCH, 2005 AGENDA I. CALL TO ORDER - Please welcome Steven Williams - appointed by Mayor Peterson as a representative of the City of Ithaca - Term to expire 6/30/07. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - December 14, 2004 and January 11, 2005 (no meeting in Feb.) III. ADDITIONS /DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA IV. PERSONS WISHING TO SPEAK TO BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS V. CORRESPONDENCE VI. MEMBERSHIP CHANGES - Add Josh Grant (Bunker) to Co. #5 - Remove Rich Keller - Co. 3 - resigned 1/26/05 (Moved from the area) - Benjamin Schnurle (Bunker & Co. 5)- Left program - change to Inactive - Gory Giroux (Bunker & Co. 5) - Left program - change to Inactive - Justiin Carr (Bunker & Co. 5) - Left program - change to Inactive - Matthew Jessel - Co. 3 - Inactive status as of 12/31/04 - Michael Collins (Bunker) - Left program 09/04 - change to Inactive VII. MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS: A. TOWN OF ITHACA B. AUDIT (3/8/05) C. TOMPKINS COUNTY FIRE ADVISORY BOARD VIII. DEPARTMENT REPORTS: A. CHIEF: B. DEPUTY CHIEF /TRAINING C. FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU REPORT - Codes Division - Fire Investigation Unit - Juvenile Firesetters Program - Public Education IX. OLD BUSINESS - Strategic Planning X. NEW BUSINESS XI. ADJOURN 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 Monthly Report of the Fire Chief to the Board of Fire Commissioners, for the March 2005, meeting. LIFE SAFETY DIVISION Administration 1) Career Personnel Report See report from Deputy Chief Dorman. 2) Operating Budget Status See attached spreadsheet. Of note, and as of the pay week ending 05 MAR 05, which is 17% into the year, we have expended 31 % of our overtime line. This is due primarily to severe weather operations, the fire at 116 Lake Street, and the fact that shift staffing is short six fire fighters right now. The need to control overtime expenditures was emphasized at a recent city department head meeting, and so we have curtailed most overtime use, other than to maintain minimum staffing. 3) County Communications and 911 Program Alarms from our municipal fire alarm system are still retransmitted to the new facility via a network that Fire Alarm Superintendent Srnka and Mike Totman developed. The County Purchasing Department is letting bid specifications for the equipment to be bid as of 11 MAR 05. The County still has not yet disengaged from the former dispatch space at Central Fire Station. We are looking for a time line from them as to when that might occur. 5) Grants and Donations We received a $1,000 grant from the Wal -Mart Corporation. In addition, they donated a snow blower to the department. Five Cairns thermal imaging cameras were donated to us by Donald Weadon Jr.; see the attached letter of appreciation. This very generous donation was made in part as a "An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification." �� Fire Chief's Report for March 2005 11 MAR 05 Page 2 goodwill gesture on the part of this Cornell alumnus and trustee of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. 6) Personnel Actions Since the last report, FF Mahlon Irish Jr. was promoted to the rank of Fire Lieutenant. Additionally, Adam Buck and Michael O'Halloran were hired as fire fighters. Ffs Buck and O'Halloran are currently attending the New York State Academy of Fire Science, where they are taking the NYS 229 hour recruit fire fighter training program. 7) Strategic Planning The chiefs met and discussed strategic planning. The charge to them as a result was to come back with three tasks complete, as follows: • define a recommended process to accomplish strategic planning for the fire department • estimate costs that may be incurred to accomplish strategic planning according to the recommended process • define a proposed list of people, positions, or agencies to be represented on the stakeholder group for strategic planning The result of this effort will be presented to the Board for consideration. Also, a presentation about the strategic planning initiative was given at the February meeting of the Community Services Committee. They will await further developments as they come from the Board. Unfortunately, and because of our current budget situation, no additional work has been done on the strategic planning initiative since then. Fire Prevention Bureau 1) See Assistant Fire Chief Parson's report, which is attached. Safety Section 1) No report. Fire Chief's Report for March 2005 OPERATIONS DIVISION Response 1) Monthly Call Report 11 MAR 05 Page 3 See attached year -to -date report series for 2005. The final report for 2004 will be prepared as soon as possible. 2) Emergency Management Severe weather operations during January and February prompted the opening of the emergency operations center (EOC), and the use of extraordinary staffing levels. Intense cold and flooding were two conditions that were key to these unusual operations. The Fall Creek area in particular was impacted by the flooding. After action reports are still being prepared for this operation. On another topic, the new tow vehicle was picked up from the Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response (DOER) today (11 MAR 05). It will be loaded, people trained, and placed in service as soon as possible. Support 1) See report from Deputy Chief Dorman. 2) Training Center report for Febuary 2005, from Assistant Chief LaBuff: Usage: IFD 10 Hours IPD 8 Hours Tomp County 8 Hours Tioga County 5 Hours 3) Marine Facility No report for this month. 4) Boat Acquisition No report. Fire Chief's Report for March 2005 5) Cornell Hazardous Materials Program 11 MAR 05 Page 4 Meetings are continuing between CU EH &S and IFD Haz Mat Team personnel to structure and improve the working relationship between the two entities. New and revised procedures, training, and operating agreements will be forthcoming. Training 1) See monthly training report from Deputy Chief Dorman. VOLUNTEER SERVICES DIVISION Membership Unit 1) The status of the volunteer and bunker program was discussed at the February Community Services Committee meeting. No resolution was proposed, and no action was taken. Since then, IVFU Leaders Bill Gilligan and Ken Jupiter, and I have been meeting to consider alternatives. Given the short window of opportunity that actually exists to recruit bunkers, the IVFU has initiated recruitment activities on campus in hopes that a pool of candidates might be formed. This window will close in early April. In the meantime, the attached resolution is being proposed as a means of securing the commitment from the City needed to recruit, train, and sustain the volunteer and bunker program. This resolution would go to the City Administration Committee at their regular meeting on 30 MAR 05 for consideration. The Board should consider this resolution at the March meeting. Service /Duty Unit 1) No report. ectful submitted, an ilbur Fire Chief Attachments IFD Staffing Resolution I I MAR 05 page 1 of 2 Whereas, the Ithaca Fire Department has suffered a constant loss of personnel from its ranks of bunkers, career staff, and volunteers over the years; and, Whereas, the loss of the municipal training officer, volunteer coordinator /director of development, and a deputy chief, has seriously impaired the department's ability to administer department recruitment and training programs; and, Whereas, due to chronically insufficient resources, recruiting programs for career and volunteer fire fighters are ineffective or nonexistent, and the training program is significantly hampered in many areas, which have combined to further reduce the numbers of available personnel and the quality of the training for current and prospective members; and, Whereas, attempts to counter this situation through the reallocation of duties to existing personnel have not been successful, due in part to the constant and increasing demand for services; and, Whereas, the lack of personnel and training resources runs counter to the ideal that would acknowledge that if there are fewer people, those left behind must be superbly trained; and, Whereas, the minimal funds normally expended to recruit and train a new class of bunker and /or volunteer fire fighters were purposely omitted from the 2005 budget to reflect the inability of the department to manage the recruitment and training programs without the resources required to do this well; and, Whereas, concerns have been raised the volunteer and bunker program as is may not survive 2005 without attempts to grow the program; and, Whereas, the past five years have seen an average of 21 bunkers and 12 volunteers, and 2005 rosters show 13 bunkers and seven volunteers, it can be seen that numbers of volunteers and bunkers continues to deteriorate; and, Whereas, • a municipal training officer (MTO) serving for six months would cost approximately $50,052, with the City of Ithaca share of $34,036, and • a bunker training program costs approximately $30,000 without a dedicated MTO, and • a bunker training program with a dedicated MTO would cost approximately $18,000, with the city share being $20,400, for a total of $80,311; now, therefore be it Resolved, the Common Council authorizes the creation of a municipal training officer position to be filled no sooner than 01 JUL 05, at the rank of assistant fire chief, such position to be filled from the current civil service list; and. be it further IFD Staffing Resolution 11 MAR 05 page 2 of 2 Resolved, the vacancies created by promotional appointments will be filled such that the roster will be increased by one full time assistant chief position and all other ranks will be maintained at current levels; and, be it further Resolved, the funds for this position will be transferred from unrestricted contingency, as follows: $50,052 from A1990 Contingency to A3410.110 Salaries — Staff $18,000 from A1990 Contingency to A3410.125 Overtime and be it further Resolved, this resolution shall not be authorized until the Town of Ithaca has authorized the additional position, and their share of the total costs, or approximately $37,794. CITY OF I rmcA 310 West Green Street Ithaca, New York 14850 -5497 OFFICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF Telephone: 607/272 -1234 Fax: 607/272 -2793 February 17, 2005 Mr. Steven Williams 235 Hector Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Mr. Williams: We've been notified by the City of Ithaca Clerk's Office that Mayor Peterson has appointed you to the Board of Fire Commissioners for a term to expire on June 30, 2006. Welcome aboard! I see they've sent you information regarding our meeting schedule - 2nd Tuesday of the month at 6:00 PM here at Central Fire Station, 310 W. Green St. (our next meeting is March 8, 2005) as well as the charge of duties and responsibilities for Board members. Our meetings are fairly casual and generally last about one hour. We are just beginning to embark on project for the Department and the process - you're just in time! a comprehensive Strategic Planning Board will be an integral part of the Please feel free to stop in the office at any time, or to make an appointment, and either Chris or I can show you around and acquaint with our operation. We also have minute books, as well as a Board Policies and Procedures Manual that Chair Romanowski put together a while ago, that you could peruse at your leisure. Again, welcome aboard and I look forward to working with you. Sin erely7 i=. H. Wilbur cc: Robert Romanowski, Chair Fire Chief Ithaca Board of Fire Commissioners "An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification." 0, 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 03 MAR 05 Donald Alford Weadon, Jr. Weadon & Associates International House 3338 N Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007 Dear Mr. Weadon: Your generosity is profound. As a result of that generosity, the Ithaca Fire Department has received five Cairns VIPER thermal imaging cameras (TIC'S). As you know, TIC's have been described as one of the most significant advances in technology to hit the American fire service in decades. We know from using TIC'S now that the difference they make in our operations is nothing short of incredible. With our limited staffing resources, the ability of fire fighters to rapidly search a building for occupants has been enhanced significantly. In addition, the exterior applications (searches, wrecks, etc.) you mentioned in your letter of 21 SEP 04, are real, and the use of TIC'S in those situations can make a huge difference. These thermal imaging cameras will allow us to have a new camera on each in- service fire engine, as well as the as the duty chief's vehicle. As the cost of these cameras is substantial, we would not have this capacity without your generous donation. You also mentioned in your letter that there might be an opportunity to celebrate this donation at Delta Kappa Epsilon. We would look forward to that and will standby for further information on when such an event might take place. Again, thank you very much for your wonderful generosity. The gifts you have provided us demonstrate yet again the significant contribution that Cornell and its alumni make to this community. Sincerely yours, WL Brian H. Wilbur Fire Chief cc: Board of Fire Commissioners ' C. Peterson, Mayor "An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification." c� Statistical Summary Ithaca Board of Fire Commissioners - Report 03/15/05 There are 20,658 records in the Incidents Table. Between Saturday, January 1, 2005 and Friday, March 1, 2005 there were 798 incidents. Currently there are an average of 11.4 incidents per day. Average response time for the department is 4.58 minutes. The average duration of an incident is 19.34 minutes. 50 40 30 20 10 0 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Incidents by Hour of the Day I� � :1 A I I I A III I' I I A O N O7 d In CO CO O O r N C7 d CO q0 O N CO O O O O O O O O O O — r — r- T T r r r r N N N N Incidents by Day of the Week •. , ' SUN MON TUE W® THU FRI SAT Dollar Loss by Hour of the Day Loss Statistical Summary Ithaca Board of Fire Commissioners - Report 03/15/05 There are 20,658 records in the Incidents Table. Between Saturday, January 1, 2005 and Friday, March 1, 2005 there were 798 incidents. Currently there are an average of 11.4 incidents per day. Average response time for the department is 4.58 minutes. The average duration of an incident is 19.34 minutes. 200000 150000 100000 50000 0 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Incidents by First Responding Unit .... IONS ' O O O CMD O O Cl) CO M C(D � O O 0) O D) O W O O D) O Average Response Time by Unit Loss CO (D � O O O CD O O CO O M 0) CF) CY) CY) Cn 0) CA CP CY) CA 0) 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 March 11, 2005 Chief Brian Wilbur Ithaca Fire Department 310 W Green St Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Chief Wilbur, The following is the activity report for the Fire Prevention Bureau for the months of January and February 2005. Codes Division: The Codes Division received 45 complaints in the months of January and February. 44 of those complaints have been closed out. There is only 1 complaint still open as of 3/1/2005. There were 20 from 2004 that were open at the beginning of the year. All open complaints from 2004 have been responded to, and closed out. The codes division performed 35 inspections of assembly occupancies and non - assembly occupancies. The division also observed acceptance tests for 8 fire protective systems, which included 2 sprinkler installations, 2 hood system installations, and 4 fire alarm system installations. There were 28 parking violation tickets issued in January and February. 12 tickets were written for parking in a fire lane or in front of a fire hydrant, l3 tickets were written for parking in a prohibited area, 1 ticket was written for obstructing fire department access to a structure, and 2 tickets were written for parking too far from the curb. On February 4t" 2005, there was a complaint filed as a result of a fire call at 730 University Ave for open burning on the roof of a building. An accusatory was filed in City Court against the President of the Fraternity for a violation of the City Ordinance prohibiting use of a solid fueled appliance on a building. The President of the Fraternity is to be in court on March 16"' to answer charges for the violation. The firefighters assigned to the codes division have attained 73 hours of in- service training credit for January and February. Firefighter Chris Kourkoutis is a new "An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification." CS January & February Fire Marshall's Report — Page 2 addition to the codes division. In addition to his in- service training, Firefighter Kourkoutis has received 63 hours in Code Enforcement training as part of the requirements for obtaining his NYS codes certification. Firefighter Kourkoutis will have completed all the required training for his codes certification by May of this year. In the beginning of February, I began a new initiative to track the amount of time the firefighters of the codes division have been able to put an additional engine in- service to respond to calls. In the month of February, the codes division was able to staff an engine a total of 39 hours. During these hours, the firefighters in the codes division were assigned to respond to calls, but at the same time they also were able to accomplish administrative code enforcement activities. Fire Investigation Unit: There were 2 fires investigated by the fire investigation unit in January and February. 1 Vehicle fire that was caused by mechanical failure, and 1 structure fire that was ruled accidental. We have added to new fire investigators to the unit. Firefighter Mark Hassan and Firefighter Scott Eaton are joining the team of investigators. They will be working with senior fire investigators as they fulfill there required hours of investigation for their certifications. Assistant Chief Dan Tier will be filling in as a fire investigator for Firefighter Chris Hamilton while he is off duty on extended leave. Juvenile Fire Setters Program: There were no referrals to the program in the month of January or February. Public Education: There was only one public education detail performed by members of the department in the month of February. As I come to complete the first two months of assignment as Fire Marshal, I have found that the fire prevention bureau is a very busy place. I have been working on several projects, and initiatives. Over the past month, I have been working with the City Attorney to update and revise the Fire Prevention Chapter of the Code of the City of Ithaca. There are many changes that we are working on as an effort to insure that the City Code is compliant with the laws enforced by New York State. We are reviewing and updating the language as it relates to enforcement, permits, and penalties. I anticipate that the revisions will be going before Common Council next month. January & February Fire Marshall's Report — Page 3 Another new initiative that I have begun, as result of attending the Commons Advisory Board meetings in January and February, is the implementation of emergency action plans for Commons events. I have had discussions with the Commons Advisory Board about developing a new policy that would require an emergency action plan for major events that occur on the Commons. There is always the possibility of a major incident involving a fire or mass casualty incident during a Commons event. To date, there has never been a requirement for the activity coordinators to develop an emergency evacuation or other action plan in the case of a large scale emergency incident. I will be working with the event coordinators in drafting a plan that can be easily taught and implemented for major events on the Commons such as Ithaca Festival, Apple Harvest Festival, NASCAR day, to name just a few. I hope that we will have a pilot plan to implement by the time the Ithaca Festival comes around in June. I have already met with the Ithaca Festival organizers to discuss the issues. They have been very supportive of the effort. There are several building projects that are scheduled to start up this coming year. Cornell's West Campus Initiative will be moving into its third phase by next June. Cornell has begun ground- breaking for the new Life Sciences Building, and plans for the East Campus Research Facility are in the final stages. All three of these projects will be starting this summer, and be running into the next 2 years. There are two new projects in the Town of Ithaca that will have an impact on the fire department. Overlook at West Hill, and Country Inn and Suites, will both be in the construction phases during this year. There are a few other projects that are in the planning stages right now, including anew Physical Sciences Building at Cornell, and a new senior apartment complex, which is part of the Linderman Creek Development. As the construction projects begin this coming year, I anticipate that the Fire Prevention Bureau will be very busy with new projects as well as the activities related to the on going projects which will be eventually nearing their completion sometime during this year. Respectfully Submitte , Thomas Parsons Assistant Fire Chief Fire Marshall o, r X 3 Ol M 01 M Z v rD o, fD K W r 0 U1 N 0 ,O,^ V' O rh ✓=r ,,O^ i d n n O rt n 0 m m '0 70 tr D fA n 0 0 n C -1 0 < 0 0 a C C o ' U) a d = N o = M o z < a 3 d 3 d y — 3 m — c d Op vi tD C n rn < m x 0 ; m rn m 3 0 7 fD — m — M C C A _ A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Account W O V V V M V Ln V O 01 O Ln In V1 O A Vl A O W Ul N (n N O N V1 r O O In N Ln r W i-+ O N f+ O Numbers Vl O VI Administration A o & Planning 0 A r r O N _ A Ln 0 V OV 12050 O cn 1-+ 0 0 0 4 W %D W l0 w Fire Prevention rr � o+ w ON Bureau 12100 O CO N O to A lD V f+ N Safety Section rn 12150 N O U9 O V1 O w O� O V1 V1 pi O 0% Ln A V �. r ++ Response rn cn o w N w CO A Section 12200 w A O cn V iD to a% 00 N F.• 'co w O O w V1 A N 01 -N CO rIj CO Support Section rn o m In r N O, N Ln r N A 12250 ? CO 0) w T A O O O A N 00 00 w ID CO A W M A O V A r 00 O lD 0 Emergency rn Management 00 0 w 0 CO 12300 N O O O M O� Training Bureau In rIj Ln Ln 12350 �^ 0) V1 w O W V1 O O A V ? H 00 M V 0% In In O O O O O O V Uq F+ Membership m W -Ln Section 12400 O1 O 0 O C 0 Co 0 CO w w CO Service / Duty rn Section 12450 A N V V V1 A �S W N N Balance _ 00 A V ko P N In �' N N Vt D1 N N N r V V N p 0) V1 Oo V1 r O r D1 V (n O Ln O r V1 V z CO W t+ O f+ V M V A 1D cn r to 0) V 0) T 0 O O O N O O� N A to CO In iD W m (n W ko N N 0 ,O,^ V' O rh ✓=r ,,O^ i d n n O rt n ITHACA FIRE DEPARTMENT BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REPORT March 2005 PERSONNEL STAFFING LEVELS 1 Chief 1 Deputy Chief 5 Assistant Chiefs 8 Lieutenants 46 Fire Fighters 61 On duty personnel 1 Fire Alarm Superintendent 1 Administrative Secretary 1 Financial Clerk 0.5 Account Clerk Typist 2 Recruit Fire Fighters 3 Fire Fighters on Extended Sick Leave Total employees as of 03/01/05 — 69.5 MUTUAL AID CALLS — From: Cayuga Heights (2), Lansing (2) To: Danby (2), Brooktondale, Trumansburg SELECTED CALLS — On 2/13/05, C Shift responded to a significant fire at 116 Lake St. Extinguishment required an off shift call and took over one hour. SUPPORT 40 Vehicle work orders were written and 31 were closed. TRAINING — See Attached report. Submitted by: J. Thomas Dorman, Deputy Chief Date Printed: 3 / 3 / 05 Page 1 W t` N N Ln Ln Ln N W M N U) —0 W W (0 Ln Orl_ Or- It Ln N M� m 0) M N t` N 0) M N O W O N N 00 (D �t (D 00 N 't r- � O M N (D O J V M N 00 [t Ln 00 <t Ln (D 07 0) N Lfl Ln Ln 0) CO O N N O N M M Ln M� Ln M M O O N LL O J - ll rt M 'd' Ln Ln IT M N� M M M M Ln N W 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Q N d1 V 00 M (D Ln d' Ln M M M N M N Ln \\ O N\ \ \ \ N \ \\ N Ln N \ \ \ 00 \ \ N \ N \ N \ N \ N \ N N \ LL 0) C0 r r N N M d7 n d7 Q) O J Ln Ln Ln Ln Ln m Ln Ln w w M Ln M ' M (D Ln Ln 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 W \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ 2 O V' W N N M Ln M N M tt ti M (D Ln Z f - (D 00 O N w 00 O O O W O O N O O O O O N w O N - V' rt N 2 C7 Z W Ln O \ (\j O O O d' 0) (Y) 't M Ln W w N O O N N 00 N W V, 0) N 00 CO IT r- (D IT 0) r- N 0) 0) 0) N Q 00 N M V' (9 M N 'V' •- N 00 CO M W _J 2 Ln O \ N O M Ln V' 00 Ln Ln N C0 to Ln r- 00 00 N M N Ln O O (D O 00 V- M 0) M M tl- \ M 0) 00 0) N M d' CO 00 O N 2 0 Z W O O O O N M Ln W O O O c0 N O O M 6) 0) O r - 00 Ln N N M f - '7 N N O M O 4- Ln rl O N w IT (.0 6) M M .- N O N 6) 1- \ M 00 to N 0) 00 Ln 00 6) N M L I- Ln a' � N O 6) N N N M Ln 0) Ln Ln O 00 r- Ln r- 0) C0 W Q W J_ N N O O CO (3) O 00 M Ln r- 41 6) ONO 0 Ln O 00 It 00 N M M (.0 N a) 00 0) N M It 't O 00 O N LY 2 U Z N W O O Ln O It M M O .- ao Ln M LO 0) M M W 00 N .-- 00 M N M N O N O Ln M d' O N N M O) M N C0 O O 00 00 N O \ N N Ln N 0) 00 Ln M 00 0) N M d' � Ln M M fl- N O 0) N N N M M Ln 0) Ln Ln O 00 Ln r� 0) (0 W (7 Q W J N O O -- - N M It Ln W m M _ - N M d' Ln N M M _ N M V- N O O O O O O O M M tt 'T � V' � d' I- 1q, O w w w 6) 6) m m 0) 0) 0) 0) 0) CY) 0) 0) 0) 0) 0) 0) 0) 0) d7 0) 0) Q LY Q a a Q CD ,i m z z m D ?� n cn < = O -v -n m -n -n CL D m O D m m O O O O m cQ r 0 z x cn O O T m m m W N D ii m x 0 D D c ao Z cmi, O m W m p o p m p0 m Z m m r m o D D z m C z O O Cn D A 0 c y p � c7 Z O m n 5 p D D m = < m� p O K W m p z - (� p O Z M Z m Z � � z U) Z O< m O z O o Z -n m p D Cl) m T cn D o, m m D O 2 D Z Z m Z C) p v, U) ?i p m m c p O O O = z < D r m m G) z p n m 70 O 0 ZZ O ZZ (n C) D S O D m m Z z m 0 r* Ul c � p C70 v 1 P N A N) O -1 = v CJl CTl Ul Ul Ul Cn _ A O -n J O -' �I v 1 O N m '-1 W Ul CJl Ul (P CT CTl S A/te�'� Cn Ul O in N / D O al O 0 _ 7 p G O C1 r co,w O N O N Cr Cl) CD i O Cl) �O S A' C .�► • o D �. y r = r to to o O a 0 o O n 0 z O 0 v m 0 v ° sv -� i o j N N O NO O C _ 1_ A v O CT N N (n jV v CJ1 (P N = cfl (n fn Cn Cn Ln C J N Ul i•. N 'II W P- CA) N O cn -I O N a O s 4 N Cri v O N M- W 0 w W 0 0 E � o ,, N CD O M � N Cl f7 —■ al 'd O 0 i O O O 3 _ c C CD ` 0 `C c � CD vn o c � —• c (Q C O CD � n 0 z O v cD 0 O w V m A W N w OD Of O 3 C z Oc Cl) m c_n 7U O D --I D D m Z < O m Cl) Cl) n rrr D m Z Oc cn Z < m m > v D y c N o < O 0 --+ m -�-� z O -I M O 90 c 3 {C W_ O N o 1 (P Z D Z m Cl) 0 in C- N O O ✓�_ \JJ 00 N cn N W 'T1 A a i � N Cl f7 —■ al 'd O 0 i O O O 3 _ c C CD ` 0 `C c � CD vn o c � —• c (Q C O CD � n 0 z O v cD 0 O w °1 rn w w OD � O C N 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: David Whitmore, Chair Community Service ommittee From: Brian Wilbur, Fire Chief ` Re: Agenda items for 09 FEB 05 meeting Date: 03 FEB 05 Attached please find two items. The first is a one page brief regarding the current status of the Ithaca Fire Department volunteer and bunker fire fighter program. This is a complex issue, and this one page brief does not come close to examining all aspects of this situation. However, in my opinion, strategic planning is the best vehicle to use to work through this. The second item is a printout of a brief PowerPoint presentation on a strategic planning discussion occurring in the fire department. This has been presented to the Board of Fire Commissioners and to fire department officers. It is a work in progress, and may change slightly by the time I present it on Wednesday evening. There is a strategic planning item on my list of performance objectives for this year, and so Mayor Peterson's initiative in this regard is part of what this effort addresses. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. cc: Board of Fire Commissioners IVFU Leadership T. Dorman "An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification." 0 Summary of Volunteer and Bunker Situation at the Ithaca Fire Department 03 FEB 05 The 2005 operating budget does not include funds for recruiting or training new bunkers or volunteers. It does fund current members. Current roster: 7 active volunteer fire fighters 13 bunker fire fighters The questions raised are: 1) What would it take to restore the ability for the department to recruit and train new bunkers and volunteers? 2) Can the program sustain itself as is through 2005 if no new members are recruited until 2006? 3) Is the volunteer /bunker program at the end of its useful life, to the point it should be terminated altogether? The municipal training officer (MTO) and volunteer coordinator's positions that were created in 1989 -90 were lost due to budget cuts. The training officer was cut in 1993; the volunteer coordinator /director of development in 2002. Due to our inability to recruit the critical mass of volunteer applicants needed to justify the cost of running a new - member training class, we have not had one since 2000 or before. Some current volunteers have participated in the three week bunker basic training course in order to become an IFD volunteer. The Ithaca Volunteer Fire Fighters' Unit (IVFU) leadership is proposing to create the capacity to recruit potential new members using volunteers and bunkers to do so. The question comes down to our ability to pay to select, equip, and train them. The three week bunker training program typically costs us about $30,000 to run. An MTO at the assistant chief rank would cost us approximately $99,000 (with benefits). A volunteer coordinator would cost us in the neighborhood of $59,000 (with benefits). An MTO is needed whether or not the volunteer /bunker program is sustained. Training needs at the fire department are acute and the only hedge we have against the risks of chronic understaffing is to insure the staff we do have are superbly trained and equipped. The presence of an MTO would reduce, but would not eliminate, the costs incurred by the department to run the annual bunker training program. A volunteer coordinator would relieve current administrative staff of tasks related to recruiting, selecting, and administering our volunteer program. As demonstrated throughout the 1990's, it would not necessarily insure the return of a robust program. 0 4 { 0 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project An Overview of a Proposed Method U JAN 05 1 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project But first: Why do it? • Last effort was 20 years ago • We have done • Officer proposal • VSAT and RSR •PM and a couple of attempts at strategic planning... U LAN 05 2 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project But we have not done a full Strategic planning project. 13 JAN 05 3 1 1 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project 7. Assess opportunities and threats of external environment 8. Assess strengths and weaknesses of internal environment 9. Identify strategic issues of the department 10. Create strategies for strategic issues 11. Create department's ideal future 12. Operational planning from strategic view 13. Write the strategic plan 13 JAN 05 7 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project Organization Who will do the work, and How will it get done? U JAN 05 5 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project Organizational elements: • Board of Fire Commissioners (BFC) • Chiefs • Five shifts (A -E) • Stakeholders • Elected officials (City and Town) 11 JAN 05 9 3 1 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project Duty Shifts (A -E): • All active personnel are assigned to a shift • Serve as work teams to accomplish tasks • May meet with stakeholder group for input and feedback on particular task • Use a portion of on -duty time to work on strategic planning project tasks 13 JAN 05 13 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project Stakeholder Group: • Defined at outset • chiefs will develop and present list for approval • Composed of broad cross section of the community • Meets regularly • Insures community input into process 13 JAN 05 14 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project Stakeholder Group • composed of people with intemal and extemal interests examples of possible groups to be represented: • citizens • insurance industry • bunkers and volunteers •IPFFA • elected officials • other public safety agencies or departments 13 JAN 05 1s 5 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project Gap analysis must evaluate all aspects of the department: . • All operating divisions (Life Safety; Operations, Volunteer Services • All sub- sections • All individual programs, units, and teams 13 JAN 05 19 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project � TF d „W 13 JAN 05 °°pryu`'>q"' osaa W Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project Gap analysis built in part on comparisons with: • Mandates • Generally accepted standards (e.g. NFPA, ISO, accreditation process, etc. • Other rules and regulations (OSHA, DOH, etc.) • Peer city comparisons 13 JAN 05 v 7 t� Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project -As each step in the process is completed, a report will be issued • Subsequent steps will build on work already completed • In other words, each steps lays the foundation for future steps 13 JAN 05 25 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project Stakeholder group will insure: • Community values and needs, and • Internal values and needs are included. 13 IAN 05 % Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project J S Gm�r w �i � e im uYxwr G ��n c 13 JAN OS V 0 Ithaca Fire Department Strategic Planning Project 13 JAN OS Questions? 11 ITHACA FIRE DEPARTMENT - March 11, 2005 BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS WORK # Robert Romanowski, Chair 160 Bundy Rd. 279 -5012 Greg Kirkpatrick 403 Teton Ct. Sec.Raymond Wheaton Carol Seligmann 115 Eastwood Ter. 273 -3990 Paul Alexander 1215 E. State St. 280 -3900 274 -2142 Steven Williams 235 Hector St. 273 -1721 Robin Holtham Korherr 1307 N. Cayuga St. 280 -4065 CAYUGA HOSE CO. #1 2004 BFC: Comm /co.officers,etc.CURRENT HOME # 273 -2235 272 -3440 273 -8966 273 -4935 273 -0848 273 -1126 Captain Jack Bordoni 3171/2 Utica St. 272 -2918 1 Lt. Andy Consalvi 406 Utica St. 273 -0423 Treas. David Cornelius 11 Autumn Ridge Cr. 272 -5629 256 -3210 Sec. Earl Kaiser ? ? RESCUE STEAMER & CHEMICAL Co. #2: 2005 1st Thursday Capt. Peter Strizack 225 Grand Ave., Newfield, NY 14768 277 -3972 1 Lt. Jim Lamb 222 Van Kirk Rd., Newfield, NY 14867 2nd Lt. Maynard Richardson 128 Esty St., Ithaca, NY 14850 Sec. Raymond Wheaton 12 011i Rd., Newfield, NY 14867 564 -7227 Treas. Paul Alexander 1215 E. State St. 273 -4935 TORNADO HOOK & LADDER CO. #3 2005 4th Tuesday Capt. Susan Begg 104 N. Titus Ave. 1 Lt. Frank Canton 113 Park Lane, Ithaca, NY 14850 Treas. Eileen Camp 54 Mill St., Dryden 844 -9894 Sec.Raymond Wheaton 12 0111 Rd., Newfield, NY 14850 564 -7227 EUREKA PATROL CO. #4 (as reported 06/12/03) Capt. Matt Whittemore 289 Hayts Rd. 277 -5922 1 Lt. Bob Troy ? ? 2 Lt. Bill Fox, Sr. Nate's Floral Estates 273 -0793 Treas. Les Brown 62 Decker Rd., Newfield 273 -5958 TORRENT HOSE CO. #5 2005 Captain Josh Grant 965 Danby Rd. 351 -2995 1 Lt. Cory Giroux ? 2 Lt. Justin Carr ? Sec. Ray Bordoni 1008 Beckingham Dr., St. Augustine, FL 32092 SPRAGUE STEAMER & HOSE CO. #6 (as reported 02/21/05) Capt. Greg Kirkpatrick 403 Teton Ct. 272 -3440 1 Lt. Jack Gould 102 Happy Lane 2 Lt. Jim Rogers 205 3rd. St. Sec. Bill Gilligan 1224 Trumansburg Rd. Treas. Don Wood TERM EXP. 06/30/06 06/30/05 06/30/07 06/30/05 06/30/06 (City Liaison) 1st Tuesday 2nd Monday 1st Thursday 1st Thursday CATARACT HOSE CO. #7 2004 (Reported 09/20/04)- send mail to PO Box 592 1st Tuesday Capt. Robert Doner 330 Piper Rd., Newfield, NY 14867 564 -7604 1 Lt. Albert Hile 410 Valley Manor, Newfield, NY 14867 564 -9018 2 Lt. William Sullivan 31 Russpakka Rd., Newfield, NY 14867 564 -6964 Sec. Dave Quick 918 N. Aurora St. 272 -9141 Treas. John Beach PO Box 6794, Ithaca, NY 14851 274 -5524 (work) NERITON FIRE CO. #9 2003 (as reported 09/01/04) Capt. Alex You 309 College Ave. 1 Lt. VACANT 2 Lt. VACANT Sec. Dan Maas (Temporary) Treas. Dan Maas 118 Hawthorne Pl. 592 -2745 272 -4099 2nd Sunday ITHACA PAID FIREFIGHTER'S ASSOC: 2005 1st Monday Pres. Brian Weinstein, Vice President William Baker, Secretary George Apgar II ITHACA VET VOLUNTEER FIREMEN'S ASSOC. 2005 President Doug Kemp 24 Shaffer Rd., Newfield, NY 14867 1st Vice President Earl Neigh 157 Graham Rd. 2nd Vice President Earl Tuttle 1771 Mecklenburg Rd. Secretary Ray Wheaton 12 011i Rd., Newfield, NY Treas. Lyman Baker 74 Mary St. 1/�W 'ti c.,)56"' Page 1 of 2 Robert S Romanowski From: "Brian Wilbur" <brianw @cityofithaca.org> To: "Bob Romanowsid" <elborom@usadata net. net> Sent: Monday, March 07, 2005 2:42 PM Subject: Town Board Meeting Hi Bob, Current issues and concerns at the Ithaca Fire Department include: 1) Overtime expenditures are running high already due to severe weather operations, fires, and the fact that we are down six fire fighters. This shortage is due to injury and illness, and the lag time between when we hire new fire fighters and when they are ready to go on shift. There are two recruit fire fighters in recruit basic training at the State Fire Academy now. 2) A serious fire at 116 Lake Street taxed our resources significantly, and resulted in injuries to two fire fighters. One is back to work, the other will b r at least two months. A broken leg suffered by a fire fighterlW;isting residents with flooding on Pine Tree Road will sideline him for four to six months_ 3) Ken Jupiter and Bill Gilligan have been working on a proposal that would enable us to manage the recruitment and training for new volunteers and bunkers. This has been discussed at the City Community Services Committee, and will go before the Board of Fire Commissioners, and also the City Administration Committee later this month. It proposes a municipal training officer be hired by the Ithaca Fire Department. We understand the Town would have to approve this if the City agrees to it. jlil,l T-I4eris impacted by the very tight recruitment window for bunkers, which is due to housing commitments that must be made. 4) Strategic planning efforts remain at the IFD internal committee level as several issues are being discussed. The committee is working to develop a recommended process, propose representation to the stake- holders group, and define costs to accomplish this. That report will come to the Board of Fire Commissioners. 5) The newly acquired Hazardous Materials (tow) vehicle is nearly ready_ to go in service. Purchased with state funds through the county, it will provide us the ability to tow the state issued WMD %HazMat trailer that we received over a year ago. The loaded WMD trailer was so heavy we were unable to tow it safely with anything in the current fleet. 6) The Fire Prevention Bureau has been hard at work performing inspections and responding to complaints in the City. Additionally, Fire Marshall Tom Parsons has been working with the Town Planning Board and Building Code Office on a variety of projects in the Town that have 3n105 actual or potential impacts on the Fire Departm 7) Last, but not least, the Board is finally fully appointed with five commissioners. City resident and Town emplo ee Steven Williams accepted the appointment made by Mayor Peterson, an we look forward to him joining the board. Let me know if you have questions. Brian Wilbur Page 2 of 2 3/7/05 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 March 11, 2005 Chief Brian Wilbur Ithaca Fire Department 310 W Green St Ithaca, NY 14850 Dear Chief Wilbur, The following is the activity report for the Fire Prevention Bureau for the months of January and February 2005. Codes Division: The Codes Division received 45 complaints in the months of January and February. 44 of those complaints have been closed out. There is only 1 complaint still open as of 3/1/2005. There were 20 from 2004 that were open at the beginning of the year. All open complaints from 2004 have been responded to, and closed out. The codes division performed 35 inspections of assembly occupancies and non- assembly occupancies. The division also observed acceptance tests for 8 fire protective systems, which included 2 sprinkler installations, 2 hood system installations, and 4 fire alarm system installations. There were 28 parking violation tickets issued in January and February. 12 tickets were written for parking in a fire lane or in front of a fire hydrant, 13 tickets were written for parking in a prohibited area, 1 ticket was written for obstructing fire department access to a structure, and 2 tickets were written for parking too far from the curb. On February 4th 2005, there was a complaint filed as a result of a fire call at 730 University Ave for open burning on the roof of a building. An accusatory was filed in City Court against the President of the Fraternity for a violation of the City Ordinance prohibiting use of a solid fueled appliance on a building. The President of the Fraternity is to be in court on March 16th to answer charges for the violation. The firefighters assigned to the codes division have attained 73 hours of in- service training credit for January and February. Firefighter Chris Kourkoutis is a new "An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification." 4«. January & February Fire Marshall's Report — Page 2 addition to the codes division. In a dition to his in- service training, Firefighter Kourkoutis has received 63 hours in Code Enforcement training as part of the requirements for obtaining his NYS codes certification. Firefighter Kourkoutis will have completed all the required training for his codes certification by May of this year. In the beginning of February, I be the firefighters of the codes divisi service to respond to calls. In the to staff an engine a total of 39 hol codes division were assigned to rf were able to accomplish administ Fire Investigation Unit: n a new initiative to track the amount of time have been able to put an additional engine in- onth of February, the codes division was able . During these hours, the firefighters in the pond to calls, but at the same time they also ive code enforcement activities. There were 2 fires investigated by the fire investigation unit in January and February. I Vehicle fire that was caused by mechanical failure, and I structure fire that was ruled accidental. We have added to new fire investi ators to the unit. Firefighter Mark Hassan and Firefighter Scott Eaton are joining the team of investigators. They will be working with senior fire investigators as they fulfill there required hours of investigation for their certificatic a fire investigator for Firefighter leave. Juvenile Fire Setters Program: There were no referrals to the Public Education: There was only one public ed department in the month of F Assistant Chief Dan Tier will be filling in as is Hamilton while he is off duty on extended in the month of January or February. detail performed by members of the As I come to complete the first two mont of assignment as Fire Marshal, I have found that the fire prevention bureau is a very busy place. I have been working on several projects, and initiatives. Over the past month, I have been working lwith the City Attorney to update and revise the Fire Prevention Chapter of the Code of we are working on as an effort to insure enforced by New York State. We are re enforcement, permits, and penalties. I a Common Council next month. City of Ithaca. There are many changes that t the City Code is compliant with the laws wing and updating the language as it relates to ,ipate that the revisions will be going before January & February Fire Marshall's Report — Page 3 Another new initiative that I have begun, as result of attending the Commons Advisory Board meetings in January and February, is the implementation of emergency action plans for Commons events. I have had discussions with the Commons Advisory Board about developing a new policy that would require an emergency action plan for major events that occur on the Commons. There is always the possibility of a major incident involving a fire or mass casualty incident during a Commons event. To date, there has never been a requirement for the activity coordinators to develop an emergency evacuation or other action plan in the case of a large scale emergency incident. I will be working with the event coordinators in drafting a plan that can be easily taught and implemented for major events on the Commons such as Ithaca Festival, Apple Harvest Festival, NASCAR day, to name just a few. I hope that we will have a pilot plan to implement by the time the Ithaca Festival comes around in June. I have already met with the Ithaca Festival organizers to discuss the issues. They have been very supportive of the effort. There are several building projects that are scheduled to start up this coming year. Cornell's West Campus Initiative will be moving into its third phase by next June. Cornell has begun ground- breaking for the new Life Sciences Building, and plans for the East Campus Research Facility are in the final stages. All three of these projects will be starting this summer, and be running into the next 2 years. There are two new projects in the Town of Ithaca that will have an impact on the fire department. Overlook at West Hill, and Country Inn and Suites, will both be in the construction phases during this year. There are a few other projects that are in the planning stages right now, including a new Physical Sciences Building at Cornell, and a new senior apartment complex, which is part of the Linderman Creek Development. As the construction projects begin this coming year, I anticipate that the Fire Prevention Bureau will be very busy with new projects as well as the activities related to the on going projects which will be eventually nearing their completion sometime during this year. Respectfully Submitted,---" Thomas Parsons Assistant Fire Chief Fire Marshall