Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BFC-1995-12-12 C ITHACA FIRE DEPARTMENT BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS DECEMBER 12, 1995 MINUTES PRESENT: Commissioners Jennings, Baker, Romanowski, Yahn and Nelson; Common Council Liaison Pam Mackesey 1 . Chairperson Jennings called the meeting to order at 1800 hrs . 2 . Comm. Baker made a motion to approve the minutes of the November 14, 1995 meeting as written. Seconded by Comm. Romanowski. Carried unanimously. 3 . Additions/Deletions to the Agenda - none 4 . Persons Wishing to Speak to Board of Fire Commissioners : - Firefighter Chris O'Connor, representing the Ithaca Paid Firefighters as well as himself, reported that he has been attending Board of Fire Commissioner's meetings for the last 4 years and due to a change in his position in the Union and personal circumstances, this will be his last meeting. He noted that the current Mayor made it a point to appoint a variety of people to the Board - fire department related and otherwise - with good intentions . He would like the Board to recognize the changes that are occurring in the department i .e. decline of volunteers, bunkers, etc. and to keep in mind that decisions they make during their short tenure affect the staff and operations of the department for a very long time, keeping in mind the long term implications . Chris indicated that the Union will continue to send a representative. Chairperson Jennings thanked Chris for his advice and information. 5 . Correspondence - none 6 . Report from the Tompkins County Fire Advisory Board - no report. 7 . Membership Changes : - Comm. Romanowski made a motion to approve the addition of Ian (John) McDevitt to Eureka Patrol Co. #4 . Seconded by Comm. Baker. Carried unanimously. It was noted that Ian is a bunker at Station 6 . 8 . Committee Reports : - Comm. Yahn reported that she attended the Common Council meeting last week and noted that as a result of showing additional revenue, the Building Department was able to justify the addition of hours of an employee. Could the Fire Board of Fire Commissioners Page 2 December 12, 1995 Department generate revenue i .e. inspections, code enforcement, to also increase the chances that the City would approve the addition of personnel? Chief Wilbur replied that this has been done and was denied. (See more info. on this subject under Chief's report) . - Chairperson Jennings indicated that company funding for 1996 will be dependent on a signed contract between the Volunteer Companies and the Ithaca Fire Department (City of Ithaca) . This contract will be developed through a committee structure and approved by the Department as well as the companies . 9 . Chief's Report: - Deputy Chief Tom Dorman reported on apparatus : New ladder 939 is in town located at Station 6 . The vehicle has not been formally accepted (nor paid for) due to a power problem (hill climbing) and a steering problem (turning radius) . LTI and Saulsbury are both aware of the situation and are working on solutions . Staff is currently receiving training on the vehicle. (See memo attached to minutes) . - Chief Wilbur reported on the budget - the original was reduced by $251, 694 and he reviewed where the cuts were made. He will provide the Board with a copy. He noted that additional positions were requested in the original budget that included a proposal for increased revenue but were not considered. He is very frustrated that our positions are very critical in the total scheme of things for the City and requests for additional personnel are dismissed time and time again. Comm. Romanowski asked that since the request for automatic external defibrillators was not considered in the capital project budget, how much would one unit cost. Chief Wilbur replied that one unit would be $5,000 or less (with more money needed for training) . - Chief Wilbur reported that the Vacancy Review Committee has approved the replacement for two firefighters who are retiring in February 1996 . A field of 11 candidates for 2 positions will be interviewed in the near future. - He also outlined the current status of firefighters who are disabled: *FF Driscoll's request for disability retirement has been denied and the City has appealed - waiting for a decision; *FF Garrett's request for disability retirement has been denied and the City will appeal - takes approximately 18 Board of Fire Commissioners Page 3 December 12, 1995 months . The Chief feels we need to talk to our legislators about the extraordinary time it takes to get through these processes and the recent trend of disapproving of disability retirements . *Another Firefighter has been disabled for almost 1 year - we anticipate that he will return but it is not know when that will happen. *Another Fire Fighter is pregnant and will be on limited duty then off on maternity leave for a period of time. *Another Fire Fighter continues to be off due to a personnel matter. This leaves 5 people short in 1996 . - Resource Reallocation Project - work on the project continues and a package will be provided with all the graphs, charts and information that has been collected for people to ponder and provide input. Staff will be meeting to begin to define a couple of models to be considered. The Chief indicated that it would probably be February 1996 before a concrete proposal is in place. Comm. Romanowski reported that he found the public opinion survey done by AC VanBenschoten to be very informative for this project. He also had questions regarding Station 6 and the need for an access road from Station 6 to Taughannock Blvd (Rt. 96 to Rt. 89 ) . Chief Wilbur reported that this was suggested several times during the original master planning and it has been known that Station 6 wasn't placed in the most optimum location. Discussions with bunkers have been taking place in regard to the reallocation project - there is a need to level out schedules to accommodate bunkers as well as the project goals . A grant to Americorp, to supplement bunker's existence by providing funding, is nearly ready; this has been put together by AC VanBenschoten and Volunteer Coord. Marcia Lynch. Marcia described the program as similar to educational assistance with monies going directly to colleges . - Chief Wilbur noted that this is Lyle Neigh's 45th Anniversary with the Ithaca Fire Department and continues to provide active service through fire investigations . Comm. Romanowski made a motion to officially recognize Lyle's contributions at a Common Council meeting. Seconded by Comm. Baker. Carried unanimously. Chairperson Jennings will write and circulate a draft, and Pam Mackesey will present it to Council . - Chief Wilbur asked the Board if they would like to make a monetary donation for a gift for Chris Strizack, Jack Miller's Board of Fire Commissioners Page 4 December 12, 1995 secretary, who has been away from work for several months due to a leg injury. Comm. Nelson made a motion to authorize $50 from the donation fund for this purpose. Seconded by Comm. Baker. Carried unanimously. 10 . Old Business/Other: - Comm. Romanowski noted a letter from the Bunkers that listed their concerns with the Resource Reallocation Project. Chief Wilbur indicated that their concerns are being considered. Comm. Romanowski also indicated that he has had some concerns expressed generally regarding the continually increasing training requirements, training schedules that are rescheduled or cancelled, and feelings of bunkers and volunteers that they are not wanted or appreciated. Chief Wilbur replied that training requirements are not necessarily IFD' s requirement, they are OSHA required, or requirements that the Company Captains or other volunteer committees have put into place. Changing of training schedules needs to be looked at; and if there are problems between staff and volunteers or bunkers, he would appreciate if he could be informed. He also indicated that IFD's plight of decreasing numbers of volunteers is not unique to Ithaca - volunteerism all across the country is declining for a number of reasons - particularly increased demands on personal time. - Comm. Yahn noted her concerns regarding the recent deliberations between the City of Ithaca and the County Department of Social Services as it relates to the use of the parking lot behind Central Fire Station. The Board, Chief and Mayor Elect Cohen discussed the situation. Chief Wilbur has for a long time been in touch with the Department of Public Works regarding the Fire Department's needs for the space and it appears to have been overlooked in the negotiations with the County. Chief Wilbur also expressed his concern of the cost the Fire Department paid to have conduit run under the pavement of this parking lot and the probability that some of this will also be given up to the County. Pam Mackesey indicated that she was also concerned about the parking situation but did not know all the information. - Comm. Romanowski made a motion to reimburse "A" Shift in the amount of $20 . 72 for food provided for an incident on 11/24/95. Seconded by Comm. Nelson. Carried unanimously. 12 . At 1920 hrs . Comm. Romanowski made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Comm. Nelson. Carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Charles Jennings, Chairperson