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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BFC-1995-07-12 BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS MINUTES OF JULY 12 , 1995 MEETING I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 1903 hours with Comm. Baker, Jennings, Romanowski and Nelson in attendance. II. ADDITIONS/DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA Comm. Baker requested that elections of Chair and Vice-Chair be placed on the agenda. Ch. Jennings added this item under "Old Business" . III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES No minutes were available. Comm. Yahn arrived at approximately 1908 hours. IV. PERSONS WISHING TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS Jim Joseph, Captain Co. 6 , Chair. Company Captains -- Mr. Joseph stated that there was one member who was contesting their incentive award status for 1994 service. Pending consideration of this matter, Mr. Joseph requested that the Board hold back sufficient funds in the incentive account to cover this award, should it be approved. Comm. Jennings stated that if the appeal was resolved in a timely manner, there should be no difficulty with making the award. Mr. Joseph also stated that the Company Captains have discussed the need for uniforms for volunteer personnel. He stated that this issue has come up several times, and that the Company Captains agreed that active members be provided with a shirt and pants. The shirt should have the City patch on one sleeve and the company patch on the other. Mr. Joseph stated that he would like to see part of the expense come from the remainder of incentive monies from the 1995 operating budget. He stated that he was unable to get a price list from the career staff. Comm. Romanowski asked if the volunteer uniforms should be the same color as those currently worn by career personnel. Mr. Joseph stated that a different color shirt would be acceptable. Comm. Jennings stated that this issue may be discussed at tonight's meeting or at the next committee meeting. 1 Ernie Jackson, Co. 1 -- He supported Mr. Joseph's suggestion of purchasing uniforms for volunteer personnel. He stated that he has been trying to get a price list from a member of the career staff for three months. He stated that all active members should be eligible for uniforms to improve the appearance of the Department. Comm. Baker asked Mr. Jackson who he had been dealing with in obtaining a price list. Mr. Joseph stated that Deputy Chief Dorman had promised him a list, but none had been delivered. V. COMMITTEE REPORTS There were no committee meetings held this month due to a conflict between the meeting schedule and the July 4 holiday. Budget and Finance -- Comm. Romanowski commented that the last audit had been missed, but that he and Comm. Yahn would do an audit following the meeting. Comm. Yahn asked if the Commissioners were notified by phone when the audit was available. This was done in the past, but hasn't been done recently. Comm. Yahn stated that without a phone call, it is difficult for Commissioners to know when the audit is ready to be done. Comm. Baker noted that the staff probably regarded themselves as too busy to make such notifications. Comm. Romanowski stated that he would contact Steve Thayer in the Controller's Office and request that they notify the Budget and Finance committee when the audit was being sent to Central Fire Station. Comm. Jennings asked Comm. Yahn about the issue of a camera for the Cause and Origin Unit. Comm. Yahn stated that she has contacted three camera stores in Ithaca and that the donation request was being considered by all three. She expected that equipment would be donated. She will report on this next month. Comm. Jennings advised that Comm. Baker provided him with correspondence dating from the formation of the Cause and Origin stating that the City agreed to supply all necessary equipment. The camera originally requested was deleted from the 1995 operating budget. Comm. Romanowski moved that the Board of Fire Commissioners approve monies remaining in the incentive program be used to purchase uniforms for volunteers. Motion was seconded and amended by Comm. Baker that the companies be responsible for some of the cost. Chief Wilbur stated that consideration should be given to purchasing items deleted from our 1995 budget request before new items are purchased. He suggested that other items such as bunker physical fitness uniforms, training squad leader stipends, and 2 stipends for interns are also worthy of consideration and are from the same budget account. Ch. Jennings recognized Jim Joseph, (co. 6) who stated that the $2 ,000 given to the Companies should not be totally diverted to uniforms. Ernie Jackson (Co. 1) was recognized and he stated that there was possibly enough money left in the incentives account to purchase uniforms for all active members. If the money was spent for other purposes, it would undermine recruitment efforts. Chief Wilbur stated that he was in favor of uniforms, but he was concerned that some companies have many active members and others have very few. This disparity should be figured as a part of the proposal. Comm. Romanowski withdrew his motion pending development of a formal proposal for next month's Board meeting. Personnel and Training -- Chief Wilbur reported that A/C Wheaton is preparing for a new member training class in the Fall, and A/C LaBuff is preparing for bunker training that will be conducted in August. Self contained breathing apparatus evaluations would be concluded shortly. Volunteer Coordinator Lynch stated that approximately 32 bunkers were scheduled to be here in the Fall. The capacity for bunkers is 37. Buildings and Equipment -- Comm. Baker noted that the new Chevrolet Tahoes were delivered. Chief Wilbur stated that one Tahoe would become "963", used by the on-duty Assistant Chief. The second one would become "961" for the Chief's use, and one would become "945" used for training. The current "963" will be disposed. The current "961" will be retained for general use. Fire Prevention -- no report. VI. CHIEF'S REPORT The Herkimer aerial is in Elmira for ladder work that will enable it to be placed into service. The rental aerial truck running as "939" will be sent back. "901" will be out of service for one or one and a half weeks at Saulsbury Fire Equipment for repairs. The new ladder truck chassis and aerial was delivered to Saulsbury for fabrication of the bodywork. Due to concerns about the reliability of "933", a representative of the manufacturer inspected the truck and, after adjustments stated that the truck was currently safe to use but was not likely to last very long. A written report should be coming shortly. 3 Chief Wilbur stated that the City Controller requested that we not purchase a new aerial, but that we attempt to locate a good used truck. None have been found to date. One of the problems is that the doors at Central station are too low to accommodate much modern aerial equipment. Chief Wilbur added that a capital request would be made for engineering services to evaluate the possibility of structural changes to the stations to get more room for apparatus. Chief Wilbur stated that on July 20 a Bronto Skylift would be in town for demonstration purposes. Work is ongoing at the Training Center. Chief Wilbur noted that the new fence installed at the Training Center was damaged by falling trees after the last storm. He is checking with City Hall to see about insurance money for repairs. The new breathing air compressor is operational at Central station. The new generator is still being worked on. The turnout gear washer is installed at Central Station. It will be operational when a defective pump is replaced. The Chief spoke with Rick Farrell of Public Works who stated that repairs to the rear lot at Central station would begin this week with installation of a storm sewer from Plain Street. No guidelines have been received for next year's operating budget. The capital budget is still being worked on and should be presented to the Commission soon. VII. REPORT OF TOMPKINS COUNTY FIRE ADVISORY BOARD Chief Wilbur reported that the County's E-911 system will be delayed considerably. Only 100 hours of State fire training was allotted to Tompkins County for the coming year. Other issues included reimbursement for EMT training costs and time period for re-toning departments that fail to get apparatus on the road within a specified amount of time. The County budget for 1996 looks to be as tight as last year. We should keep a close eye on fire dispatcher positions promised as part of the E-911 system. VIII. CORRESPONDENCE Carol Reeves of the Board of Public Works acknowledged our letter of April 18 concerning traffic calming devices. She promised continued cooperation and consultation. A procedure is being developed for review of future installations. The Onieda County Volunteer Firemen's Association sent a brochure endorsing Chief David Jacobowitz for Executive Committee of the Firemen's Association of the State of New York (FASNY) . Ch. Jennings read a copy of a letter from Chief Wilbur to 4 Firefighter Chuck Heath marking his 30th anniversary of service to the Ithaca Fire Department. IX. OTHER/ OLD BUSINESS Jim Joseph (Co. 6) announced that this Saturday, a hands-on display would be held at the Sciencenter at 1500 hours. Events will also be held August 12 and September 9. Ch. Jennings opened the floor for nominations for Chair and Vice Chair of the Board. Comm. Romanowski moved that nominations be closed. Second by Comm. Nelson. There being no further nominations, Charles Jennings was elected as Chair and Lyman Baker as Vice-Chair. Comm. Baker asked about the status of Commissioner's awards. Ch. Jennings stated that the process was moving along and we could discuss it in Executive Session. Chief Wilbur submitted a memo from the Personnel Department concerning the number of minority candidates sitting for the civil service firefighter examination. Comm. Baker asked about the discussions concerning revisions to the City Charter. Chief Wilbur stated that no meeting has taken place since the initial discussion. Ch. Jennings asked if the Board was willing to formally endorse the notion of revising the City Charter. Comm. Romanowski expressed reservations over the entire process. After some discussion, it was agreed that Ch. Jennings would monitor developments in this area and keep the Board advised. X. EXECUTIVE SESSION The meeting moved into executive session at 1955. XI. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 2010. 5 BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS MINUTES OF JULY 12, 1995 MEETING EXECUTIVE SESSION The payment of expenses for Lyle Neigh to attend the Ohio Arson Seminar was discussed. After discussion, Comm. Baker moved that the Board pay $337.50 toward the cost of the trip. Seconded by Comm. Yahn. Passed unanimously. Ch. Jennings reported that the trophies for the Commissioners award were at the shop being engraved. A presentation will be scheduled for the beginning of the next Commission meeting. 6