HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BFC-2015-06-09City of Ithaca Board of Fire Commissioner Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Present:
Chair Gilligan
Commissioners Ellsworth, Sparks, Hoard
Fire Chief Parsons
Information Management Specialist Myers
Excused:
CC Liaison/Alderperson Fleming
Call to Order:
Chair Gilligan called the meeting to order at 1705 hours.
Approval of Minutes:
Approval of the May 12, 2015 Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes - Resolution
By Commissioner Ellsworth: Seconded by Commissioner Sparks
RESOLVED, That the minutes of the May 12, 2015 Board of Fire Commissioner Meeting be
approved as published.
Carried Unanimously
Additions to or Deletions from the Agenda:
None
Persons Wishing to Speak to the Board of Fire Commissioners:
Mr. Lyman Baker provided the following report for the Board:
RE: Work Hours in the City of Ithaca Cemetery Firemen’s Section
Dear Board,
Raymond B. Wheaton and Lyman E. Baker have worked 5 hours each mowing, trimming,
planting flowers, and setting markers for the United States Flag and the Volunteer Service Flag
in the Firemen’s section, Ithaca City cemetery.
It is very a very nice place to walk around the brick lined walkway, view the Monument, and the
resting places for all the brave Firemen who lay there.
Respectfully submitted,
Lyman E. Baker, IFD Badge #3258
Mr. David Cornelius addressed the Board with three questions – 1) Will the fire/police be
needed for fire works? Chief Parsons responded –yes. 2) Company #9 has volunteered to
clean-up on Route 89 several times a year; what would happen if someone was injured or killed
while there? Would the volunteers be covered by the fire department’s insurance? Chief
Parsons responded that probably the volunteer would not be covered. The only way that the
volunteers performing that work would be covered is to have that activity approved by the
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Board. Chief Parsons recommended that the volunteers provide information to the Board as to
when this work is scheduled so that it can be on record with the department. 3) This morning
the fire/police were dispatched, but given no reason what the call was for – can someone reach
out to dispatch to ask that they state what the call is so that the fire/police can respond with
appropriate gear. Chief Parsons responded that he would look into that matter.
Chair Gilligan, a member of Company #9, reported that the company schedules a clean-up of
Route 89 three to four times a year. He would request that this be discussed further by the
Board regarding coverage of volunteers by the department’s insurance when performing that
volunteer work.
Correspondence:
Chair Gilligan reported that the Board received a “Thank You” note from Ithaca College’s Office
of Public Safety regarding the donation for the Bill Chapin memorial fund. Ithaca College’s
Office of Public Safety was able to provide $3,125.00 to his sister who was overwhelmed and
pleased about the generous donation; which allowed her to attend the candlelight vigil in
Washington, D.C. where Sgt. Chapin's name was placed on the National Police Memorial. She
was overwhelmed with the support and wished to extend her thanks for the donation.
Chair Gilligan reported that the bank statement from Tompkins Trust Company for the donation
fund dated May 31, 2015 had a beginning balance of $2,801.61, the $150.00 donation to Sgt.
Chapin’s sister was deducted leaving a balance of $2,651.61.
Chair Gilligan further reported that the bank statement from Tompkins Trust Company for the
Rescue Squad Donation fund dated May 31, 2015 had a beginning balance of $1,845.14 and an
ending balance of $1,845.26 reflecting .12 earned interest.
Chair Gilligan noted that Cayuga Medical Center sent the Board a copy of their Annual Report; if
anyone is interested in reviewing, let him know.
Membership Changes:
Chair Gilligan stated that two applications had been submitted, and there are two more for
fire/police specifically; at this point no action is required from Board.
Miscellaneous Reports:
A. Town of Ithaca: No Report
B. City of Ithaca: Commissioner Hoard provided a copy of his report, which will be attached
to minutes from today’s meeting.
C. Audit - the audit was reviewed and approved by Commissioner Ellsworth
Department Reports:
Chief and Deputy Chief Reports:
Chief Parsons reported that there had been no staff changes in the last month.
He received a notice of retirement from Fire Fighter Joseph Bargher which will be effective on
August 9, 2015. He submitted a request to fill the vacancy prior to the retirement so the new fire
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes June 9, 2015
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fighter can go to the July NYS Fire Academy; if they don't make it to the July academy they will
have to wait until the next one which will be in February. He is assuming that permission will be
given to fill vacancy.
The department’s budget is looking good and in line with expectations for this point in the year.
Thankfully, there have been no surprise big expenditures.
No update from Tompkins County 9-1-1, they are continuing work to upgrade the
communication system and emergency management software.
The department received a grant from FEMA to purchase replacement Self-Contained
Breathing Apparatus. He expects that bids will go out for the equipment in late June or early
July, with anticipated delivery later in the year.
The department also received a grant from the Triad Foundation in the amount of $24,000.00.
The money will be used to replace the department’s skid unit that is used for fighting wildland
fires and fires in remote areas. The department is really looking forward to replacing the old unit
which has become less dependable over time.
Collegetown Fire Station: No updates; the city will make the decision in a week or so to choose
the consultant. The consultant will do a feasibility study that will determine what the costs would
be to build another station uphill towards Maple Avenue as well as what the costs would be to
make the necessary repairs to the current station and maintain it in the future. He is hoping to
have some of that information for Common Council as they consider the 2016 budget for the
city. He noted that one of the costs involved in building a new station would be the need to
purchase private land to build it on; unless land were to be donated to the city for this purpose.
He also reported that the Chapter House fire is still under investigation.
The Chief’s monthly report will be attached to the minutes for the June meeting.
Fire-Police Report:
Mr. David Cornelius provided the following report for the Board:
Fire Police training was held on May 19, 2015. The topic was Fire Extinguishers - type and use.
There were 9 fire police members in attendance.
The Fire Police Unit was called out for a power line down near the State and Mitchell Street
intersection. The Unit was requested again on 6/9/2015 around 0500 for an undisclosed reason
near Giles and Water St. The dispatcher did not say why the unit was being activated. At least
one person responded.
The next training is scheduled for Tuesday June 16, 2015. The topic: to be determined.
Respectfully submitted,
Dave Cornelius
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes June 9, 2015
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Chief Parsons stated that if anyone has a smart phone that Tompkins County has signed up a
private entity that has an application for the phone that whenever there is an incident you can
get a message about it. It is a nice tool, the application can be opened, click on the map and
get information about the call. He recommended that anyone interested in the application
should contact Lt. Wheal for further information on how to sign up.
Old Business:
Volunteer Recruitment Items/Issues
Chair Gilligan reported that work is continuing on the handbook for volunteers. They would like
to develop protocols for what happens after an application has been submitted and a new
member is accepted into the Volunteer Company and the Fire Department. He reported that
members of Company #9 would identify areas of concern and what information would be useful
for new volunteers as well as older ones.
Chief Parsons suggested they work with Lt. Basher and Asst. Chief Tracy who are working on a
check list of all the things that fire fighters as well as volunteers will need to meet the
requirements to become a fire fighter. He said it’s similar to the Fire Fighter I and Fire Fighter II
classes. He thought it would be a good idea to get a couple company officers together with
them and go through the check list together. There is no longer in-house training; training is
taking place through Tompkins County. There are then also certain requirements that need to
be met in order to handle the department’s resources and equipment.
Chief Parsons further reported that Tompkins County Fire Chief Association is working with
Cornell University’s Business school to take a look a retraining, recruitment, and retention of fire
fighters and volunteers. They will be putting out surveys which he will forward to Chair Gilligan
and company officers to get feedback on what needs to be done. There will be a survey for fire
fighters and one for people in charge of the company.
Chief Parsons suggested that the sub-committee working on the volunteer handbook work with
Asst. Chief Tracey and Asst. Chief Tier on that project. He further recommended that they work
with Lt. Basher and Asst. Chief Tracy on a handbook for the fire/police unit.
New Business:
None
Recognition for Ithaca Fire Department’s B Shift for their Outstanding Response to Two
Structure Fires on April 14, 2015 on Stewart Avenue --- Ceremony:
Chair Gilligan presented a special letter to Chief Parsons from the Board of Fire Commissioners
in recognition of all the career, volunteers, and fire/police from the Ithaca Fire Department that
responded to the call to assist B Shift that morning.
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes June 9, 2015
5
Certificates of Commendation and Certified Resolutions (from the May 12, 2015 meeting
regarding the response of B Shift to the two structure fires on Stewart Avenue) were presented
to the following members of B Shift:
Fire Lt. Christopher O'Connor
Fire Lt. Brian Weinstein
Fire Fighter John Powers
Fire Fighter - Ernest Williams
Fire Fighter - Joseph Bargher
Fire Fighter - Timothy Payne
Fire Fighter - Richard Brown
Fire Fighter - Kevin Koehler
Fire Fighter - Jillian Morales
The following members of B Shift were not at the meeting to receive their certificates of
commendation and certified resolution:
Asst. Fire Chief Michael Schnurle
Fire Fighter - Nicholas Raponi
Fire Fighter - Robert Doner
Adjournment:
On a motion the meeting adjourned at 1810 hours.
______________________________ _______________________________
Sarah L. Myers William Gilligan
Information Management Specialist Chair
MEMORANDUM
To: Board of Fire Commissioners
From: Tom Parsons, Fire Chief
Date: June 8th, 2015
Re: Fire Chief’s Monthly Report to the Board of Fire Commissioners
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
Administration
1) Career Personnel Report
PERSONNEL STAFFING LEVELS
1 Chief
1 Deputy Chief (per diem)
6 Assistant Chiefs
8 Lieutenants
47 Fire Fighters
62 Uniform Personnel
1 Administrative Coordinator
Total employees as of May 31st, 2015 – 64
a) Vacancies
None
b) Retirements:
Firefighter Joseph Bargher has given notice of his intent to retire on August
9th, 2015.
c) Hiring/Promotions
Page 2 of 5 - Fire Chief’s Monthly Report June 8th, 2015
I submitted a request to fill the vacancy that will be created by the retirement
of Firefighter Bargher to the Vacancy Review Committee. I have asked for
permission to fill Firefighter’s Bargher position in advance of his retirement
so that a new firefighter can attend the next Recruit Firefighter Training
program at the NYS Fire Academy in July.
2) Budget Status
a) 2015 Budget: Budget Summary – see accompanying report
3) County Communications and 911 Programs:
a) No Update: Tompkins County is in the process of installing interoperable
communications equipment, which is designed to provide radio communications
across county borders. This permits fire and law enforcement agencies from other
areas to communicate with emergency responders in Tompkins County.
b) No Update: Tompkins County has purchased new Emergency Management
Software that will provide better coordination of resource requests and incident
management during an area-wide disaster. The City of Ithaca, as well as other
municipalities, will manage their incident(s) locally and at the same time be
coordinated with Tompkins County and our neighboring towns and villages.
4) Grants and Donations
a) No Updates: On April 23rd, 2015, I was notified that the City of Ithaca is
receiving a grant to fund the replacement of our 15-year-old Self Contained
Breathing Apparatus. The grant award was for $413,000, with the City required
to provide a 10% match. We expect to be going out to bid for the equipment in
late June or early July, with anticipated delivery later in the year.
b) On Thursday, May 7th, 2015, I was notified by the Triad Foundation that we will
be receiving a grant for $24,000. The money will be used to replace the
department’s firefighting skid unit that is used for wildland firefighting, and for
fighting fires in remote areas which are hard to reach with a fire department
pumper. A purchase order has been issued for the equipment.
5) Collegetown Fire Station
a) No Updates: The City of Ithaca is currently requesting proposals for a feasibility
study that will look into relocating the fire station in Collegetown to another
location. The current property has significant economic value for redevelopment,
and there has been an interest expressed by more than one private developer to
Page 3 of 5 - Fire Chief’s Monthly Report June 8th, 2015
acquire the property. The study will look into the costs for site development and
construction of a new fire station. The study will also include a facilities
assessment of the Collegetown Fire Station, which will identify repairs that will
be needed over the next 20 years if the City decides to keep the current building.
LIFE SAFETY DIVISION
Fire Prevention Bureau
1) Code Enforcement Division: The following is a list of March Activities -
Complaints Received: 14
Referred to the City Building Division 7
Referred to the Town of Ithaca 4
Investigated by the Fire Prevention Bureau 3
Inspections: 69
City Fire Safety & Property Maintenance 52
Town Fire Safety & Property Maintenance 3
City - Sprinkler Inspections 9
City - Alternative Fire Protection Systems 1
City - Fire Alarm Inspection 1
City - Standpipe Flow Test 2
City – Fire Pump Flow Test 1
Permits or Certificates: 43
Operating Permit – Assembly Occupancy 20
Operating Permit – Hazardous Occupancy 2
Operating Permit – Lumber Yard 0
Operating Permit – Elevator 1
Operating Permit – Fireworks 0
Certificate of Compliance - Occupancy 15
Certificate of Compliance - Fire Alarm 2
Certificate of Compliance - Fire Sprinkler 1
Certificate of Compliance - Fire Pump 1
Certificate of Compliance – Fire Standpipe 0
Certificate of Compliance - Alternative Suppression 1
Page 4 of 5 - Fire Chief’s Monthly Report June 8th, 2015
2) Fire Investigation Unit:
The Fire Investigation Team performed one investigation in May. The fire investigation
was for a building fire that occurred at 611 Hudson St. in the City of Ithaca. The cause of
the fire was determined to be an electrical malfunction.
3) Public Education and Special Events
Public Education Events: 1
Fire Drills Witnessed: 0
Child Safety Seat Inspections: 4
OPERATIONS DIVISION
Response
1) April 2015 Responses - 411 Incidents
City of Ithaca: 310 Incidents (66.95%)
Fires: 7
Overpressure/Rupture 0
EMS/Rescue: 125
Hazardous Conditions: 24
Service Calls: 49
Good Intent: 18
Alarms/No Fires: 87
Severe Weather: 0
Town of Ithaca: 149 Incidents (32.18%)
Fires: 3
Overpressure/Rupture 0
EMS/Rescue: 83
Hazardous Conditions: 4
Service Calls: 25
Good Intent: 5
Alarms/No Fires: 29
Severe Weather: 0
Mutual Aid: 4 Incidents (0.86%)
Fires: 2
Overpressure/Rupture 0
EMS/Rescue: 0
Hazardous Conditions: 0
Service Calls: 1
Page 5 of 5 - Fire Chief’s Monthly Report June 8th, 2015
Good Intent: 1
Alarms/No Fires: 0
Severe Weather: 0
Simultaneous Incidents: 84 Incidents (18%)
2) Emergency Management : No Report
3) Mutual Aid Calls: Quarterly Report
Support
1) Training
Quarterly Report
2) Training Center
Quarterly Report
3) Apparatus and Facilities
No Report
Volunteer Recruitment and Retention
1) Summaries of Service Hours: Quarterly Report
2) There are currently 17 Active Volunteer Firefighters and Fire Police
3) Requests from Company Members to become active: None
City of Ithaca Board of Fire Commissioners
Report to Common Council for First Quarter of 2015
This report, for the first three months of 2015, supplements the Board of Fire Commissioners
minutes posted on the City of Ithaca Website (go to Government, Boards & Committees, Board
of Fire Commissioners, View Available Minutes).
As of April 30, 2015, the Fire Department operational staffing totaled 64 positions: 1 Chief, 1
Deputy Chief (per diem), 6 Assistant Chiefs, 8 Lieutenants, 47 Firefighters, and 1 Administrative
Coordinator. There were no vacant positions for the first time in recent years.
The Fire Department operating budget for 2015 is approximately $20,000 lower than the 2014
budget. As of the end of the quarter, $1,923,191, or about 31% of the Department’s 2015
budget of $6,150,521 had been expended.
A major fire involving two buildings at 402‐404‐406 Stewart Avenue on April 13 and 14, which
included the historically significant Chapter House building was limited to the two buildings due
to the efforts of B shift initially, joined by all on and off duty personnel and support from the
Cayuga Heights and Lansing Fire Departments. The Board will be presenting certificates to
those involved at its regular meeting on June 9.
In April the Department was notified that it will receive about $400,000 from the federal
Firefighters Assistant grant for replacement of the Department’s 15‐year‐old SCBA (Self
Contained Breathing Apparatus) equipment. The total replacement cost is expected to be
about $500,000.
Chief Parsons reported to the Board the a developer has expressed interest in purchasing
Station 9. An appraisal has been completed on the property and the City is hiring a consultant
to review the proposal and its implications.
The Board passed a resolution in April urging the County Legislature to not approve a change in
the County Code that would allow ‘sparklers” and similar devices to be sold in the County. This
in response to a State law that allowed local counties to determine whether or not to treat
sparklers as an exception to the statewide ban on dangerous fireworks. The Board is of the
opinion that legalizing the sale of such products would increase the risk of harm to people,
particularly children, and also increases the risk of harm to property. The County voted against
changing the County Code on May 5, 2015.
The draft volunteer handbook will be reviewed and revised in 2015. An effort is underway for
a more active recruiting campaign to begin this year.
The County 911 system software has been upgraded to make it possible to implement
proposed changes in the dispatch protocols used for determining when the Fire Department is
dispatched for EMS calls. The upgrade is also expected to provide better communication
capability between emergency response units from different service areas across the State.
The Board continues to review and discuss changes in the City Charter relating to the role and
responsibilities of the Board of Fire Commissioners. The Board anticipates working with the
Council’s Administration Committee on this issue.
The Resource Recovery/False Alarm Policy is currently on hold following preliminary review
with the City Attorney.
There is no new action to report on the County Fire‐Disaster – EMS Board at this time.
The Training Center Facility Project is still under consideration. No construction has been
authorized due to the issue of the facility being located on land designated as City Park Land.
The Board remains concerned about the organizational impact and impact on the Community
served by the Ithaca Fire Department if there is significant change in the current City‐Town Fire
Service Contract.
There has been a Board Vacancy since January of 2014.
Respectfully Submitted,
Tom Hoard
Vice Chair, Board of Fire Commissioners
June 2, 2015