HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-BFC-2017-05-09Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes
May 9, 2017
Present:
Chair Gilligan
Vice Chair Sparks
Commissioners Hoard, Guttridge, Sallinger
Fire Chief Parsons
Information Management Specialist – Myers
Excused:
CC Liaison Gearhart
Call to Order:
Chair Gilligan called the meeting to order at 1600 hours.
Additions to or Deletions From the Agenda:
Chair Gilligan requested the addition of a resolution under “New Business” regarding
a request for funds for use of the 1896 American LaFrance Steamer in the Ithaca
Festival Parade.
No Board Member Objected.
Awards, Commendations, and Other Recognition Items:
A. Presentation of Award to the Ithaca Fire Department by Sons of Union
Vets of the Civil War:
Mr. Lyman Baker, on behalf of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War,
presented the Board of Fire Commissioners with a plaque commemorating the
Ithaca Fire Department’s continual public display of the American Flag at
Central/Station 1.
Chair Gilligan accepted the plaque on behalf of the board. He thanked Mr. Baker
and extended the thanks to the other members of the Sons of Union Vets of the Civil
War organization for the special recognition. He then presented the plaque to City of
Ithaca Fire Department Chief Parsons, who will locate a place to display the plaque
at Station 1.
Persons Wishing to Speak to the Board of Fire Commissioners:
Mr. Lyman Baker read the following report to the Board regarding work hours at the
City of Ithaca Cemetery:
“Dear Board,
Raymond B. Wheaton and Lyman E. Baker have worked 6 hours apiece in the
Ithaca City Cemetery at the Firemen’s Section. Mowing and trimming, keeping the
Memorial and Headstones clean of stains. This past week, we had to sneak in
between rainstorms to get the job done.
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes May 9, 2017
2
Respectfully Submitted,
Lyman E. Baker,
IFD Badge #3258”
Consent Agenda Items:
Approval of Minutes:
Approval of the April 11 and 25, 2017 Board of Fire Commissioners
Meeting Minutes - Resolution
By Commissioner Guttridge: Commissioner Hoard
RESOLVED, That the minutes of the April 11 and 25, 2017 Board of Fire
Commissioners meeting be approved as amended.
Carried Unanimously
Correspondence:
Tompkins Trust Company Bank Statements:
Chair Gilligan provided beginning and ending balances for the following funds:
Donation Fund - beginning balance $2,997.91; ending balance $2,997.91
Rescue Squad Fund - beginning balance $1,847.88, ending balance $1,848.00, .12
interest earned.
Miscellaneous Reports:
Town of Ithaca - attached to minutes
City of Ithaca – no report
Audit – The audit was reviewed and approved by Vice Chair Sparks
Membership Changes: No changes or updates at this time
Highlights From Department Reports:
Fire Chief Parsons’ monthly report will be attached to the minutes. He highlighted
the following items not contained in his report for the Board:
The new air compressor has been delayed due to an additional step required by the
government regarding the provision of information by the fire department concerning
any environmental and neighborhood impacts the compressor might have. There
will be no impacts since the new compressor is just replacing the old one. It should
be here within next the two weeks.
Training Center/Burn Building - he met with the engineers after he received their
written report to discuss the needed repairs and to working on a plan for a short and
long term fix to the building. However, due to the age of the structure even with
repairs, he doesn’t believe he will be able to extend the useful life of the building
beyond 5 years. He explained that local politics have been driving conversations
recently to relocate city facilities, including the fire department and the department of
public works to the South West Park area of the city. Studies of the South West
Park area are being reviewed for relocation of those departments; the area would
also be the site for the construction of a new training center/burn building. Once
those studies are completed and Common Council has approved the location, then
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes May 9, 2017
3
funding for the initial stages of relocation could begin. The rope tower also needs
additional work and the engineers have provided recommendations for the remedial
work required in order to preserve the life of the tower. The work will consist of
adding stabilizers to the building to keep it from moving; which it does now.
Fire Police Report:
Mr. David Cornelius provided the following report for the Board:
“May 8, 2017
Fire Police training was held 4/18/2017. The topic was: OSHA – Blood Bourne
Pathogens. We used the City’s Insurance Company’s video. The following people
participated: Dave Cornelius, Gary Bordoni, Rob Longo, Jack Gould, Lyman Baker,
and Bill Gilligan.
Our May training is scheduled to be OSHA topics.
On April 16, Bill Gilligan responded to a 2nd alarm house fire call on Cliff St. Bill did
traffic control at the Octopus end of Cliff St. Dave Cornelius responded to Central
Station for assignment.
There is a continued problem with Tompkins Dispatch on Coordination channel
assignment. On Sunday morning April 30, 2017, the Fire Police were toned out as
part of a 2nd alarm for a working house fire on Coddington Rd. Since no
Coordination channel was broadcast, Jim Rogers requested a coordination working
channel from Tompkins Dispatch. Jim did not receive any response to his request.
When Dave Cornelius got on scene, Dave radioed Tompkins Dispatch for a
coordination frequency for Fire Police use. Dispatch did not respond to either Jim or
Dave; however, the staff from the 911 center called AC Dan Tier, to see what Jim
and Dave were asking for. Dan Tier spoke with a Dispatcher supervisor who said
they were not aware of any procedure for assigning a coordination frequency. Dan
Tier told the Supervisor that it was in their new guidelines. Dan Tier then just told
Jim and Dave to use Coordination channel 2 and skipped Dispatch. AC Dan Tier
and AC Rob Covert said they would bring this problem up at that week’s staff
meeting.
Company 9 members did a Route 89 clean up on Saturday 4/29.
Jack Gould, Dave Cornelius, Rob Longo and Bill Gilligan manned a recruitment table
at Central Station on Saturday 4/29 from 1030 hours until 1330 hours. No new
members were recruited.
Respectfully submitted,
Dave Cornelius”
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes May 9, 2017
4
Old Business:
A. Volunteer Items/Issues - FASNY Recruitment Event in April:
Chair Gilligan explained that he, Chief Parsons, and Frank Cantone plan to meet
after the Board’s meeting to discuss ongoing issues to expedite recruitment and
respond to communication issues for fire police unit members. He stated that as a
result of the Open House held on Saturday, April 29th, no new volunteers were
recruited. It was probably related to the lack of advertising for the event. Company 9
will need to come up with a better plan for the event in the future in order to publicize
the event and the volunteer opportunities with IFD in a more effective way.
B. 911 Memorial Committee:
Chair Gilligan stated that there had been one meeting of the committee held thus far
which had good attendance; although not all members were able to attend. Those
who didn’t provided significant input prior to meeting. The most likely spot for the
display of the steel from the World Trade Center and granite/marble from the
Pentagon will be Station 1. The 911 Memorial Committee may involve the City’s
Public Art Commission in the project with perhaps a competition for design of the
display.
Commissioner Guttridge expressed his support for the idea of a design competition.
Such a competition could involve a wide range of public participation that would
provide more choices for the display than a committee might.
Chair Gilligan explained that if there is a design competition approach to the display
or the memorial items, it won’t be completed September 2017. Therefore, the formal
ceremony for the display of the items would need to be held in September 2018.
C. Role of Board of Fire Commissioners - Common Council Working Group on
Committees/Boards:
Commissioner Guttridge reported that both he and Chair Gilligan attended a lively
meeting at City Hall on May 2nd with members of the Working Group. The members
of the Working Group heard a large amount of passionate feedback from the
members of the different boards represented (Shade Tree Advisory Committee,
Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Council, Disability Advisory Council, and the Public Art
Commission). Each person that spoke indicated a strong desire to continue the work
the boards and committees have been doing and not consolidate into four
commissions. The members of the Working Group responded by clarifying what
their intention was regarding the formation of the four commissions. They explained
that some of the issues they are trying to resolve, among other things, is the
inconsistent work to make sure committees have all the members they need and are
fully staffed. It is not a new issue, administrations come and go and there is always
a big push at the start to make a lot of appointments and then as time goes by that
tends to wane. The Working Group is trying to solve that problem and create a clear
path for all the current issues to get to Common Council, as well as to make sure
there is staff support for each of the commissions, which seems to help them
function more efficiently. What they have done so far is to design the top level of the
organizational structure. The things underneath need to be filled in as time goes by
and a process for that developed fully. One suggestion has been to take all the
existing boards and committees and put them underneath the four new
commissions; the members of the four commission would then appoint members to
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes May 9, 2017
5
that next level down. The members of the Working Group are not certain what they
will do next. There are members of the public that have a lot of passion on individual
topics of interest, however, they may not be interested in serving on a commission
involved in so many topics – that still needs to be considered, and nothing has been
resolved yet. Right now, they are investigating and seeking additional feedback.
There is still a significant process to follow and the members of the Working Group
expressed their willingness to hold another meeting with members of all the boards
and committees after they have had an opportunity to examine and work through the
feedback received at that meeting. It is unclear what this will mean for the Board of
Fire Commissioners since they are a board that does meet regularly.
Chair Gilligan stated that after the meeting he talked with the chair of the Working
Group, Deb Mohlenhoff. He asked her why the proposed recommendations would
have to go to referendum. She explained that it is nothing board or committee
specific; however, the proposal is viewed as a reduction in the mayor’s authority
since fewer appointments will need to be made by him. That is why the Working
Group is seeming to rush this process so that the deadlines around submission of
items for referendum to be voted on by the public at the General Election in
November can be met.
He also spoke briefly about the plan at the Town of Ithaca Board meeting on May 8th
as part of his quarterly report. The input from the Town at this point is that they
would like to invite a member from Common Council to one of their meetings to
discuss why and what is being proposed by the Working Group. At this time, the
Town is more or less neutral on the topic as long as it won’t have an impact on the
Town’s presence/membership on the new Public Safety and Information
Commission, if the Board of Fire commissioners is eliminated. They would like to
maintain two town representatives on the commission. They also expressed their
hope, in terms of the structure of the commission meeting, that topics related to the
fire department would be done at the beginning of the meeting so as to not have to
sit through all the other topics of commission.
Commissioner Guttridge stated that the Working Group has raised the number of
members on each commission from seven to nine or perhaps some other number or
some number of non-voting members who might be subject experts. Basically, they
are creating a subsidiary Common Council to manage groups below them which is
hard to describe as a consolidation of anything – more of an expansion of
bureaucracy and less involvement by the mayor. In addition, Common Council
members don’t have to be liaisons to so many boards and committees which they
find very appealing. The structure of the working groups of the various commissions
may not need to comply with open meetings law since it would be a “working group”
and there would be no agenda or public involvement so saves on staff work.
Chief Parsons stated that there clearly is a schedule the Working Group needs to
comply with. He anticipates that they will take some action within the next month -
probably no later than the July Council meeting if they’re planning on taking it to
referendum this November. He reported that he met with the Town of Ithaca
Supervisor about the proposal, and how would the relationship be established or
communications remain with the Town? The town supervisor did not appear to be
overly concerned right now, and seemed kind of neutral on the subject. The opinion
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes May 9, 2017
6
of the town supervisor and town board members is that because the contract with
the town would be affected, it would need to be modified related to representation of
the town liaisons to the commission. However, the town supervisor does understand
why this is being done right now by the City. He further noted that Common Council
members do have to attend a lot of meetings related to their liaison assignments,
and a lot of them work fulltime, so that has been an ongoing challenge for them to
meet. The other factor has been the limited number of staff from the city available
to provide support to all the current boards and committees.
A question was raised about why aren’t all the City’s boards and committees being
proposed to be consolidated – for example, the Board of Public Works.
Chief Parsons responded that he is unclear as to why they aren’t because the Supt.
of Public Works made the same argument he did about the role of the board. If the
Board of Public Works and Fire Commissioners did not exist both the fire department
and department of public works would function fine. So, he is not sure why all the
City’s boards and committees are not included in the proposal. If there is ever a
conflict with a board or committee then Common Council or the Mayor would make
the ruling and take their authority over for them.
D. Strategic Planning for IFD – Discussion:
Chair Gilligan stated that undertaking the development of a strategic plan for the City
of Ithaca Fire Department means the Board will need to devote additional time to
study and understand. He stated that there are various reports from various fire
departments and external resources on strategic plans that should be reviewed to
gain a better understanding of what such a project involves. He feels that as the
Board begins the work on the plan and tries to organize how that should be done ,
that the work does not necessarily have to done in a public meeting since it will just
be a time for a couple board members and staff to share and exchange ideas. He
was thinking that meeting would involve the Chief, himself and one board member
that could meet to come up with a detailed plan for how to begin the task. He asked
Commissioner Guttridge whether he would be willing to serve on this group because
Commissioner Hoard is on the 911 Memorial Committee and Vice Chair Sparks is on
the Tompkins County Emergency Services Committee at this time. Commissioner
Guttridge agreed to the request. Chair Gilligan stated that he would set up a
meeting of the group before the Board’s June meeting.
Chair Gilligan stated that the Board talked briefly at their last meeting on April 25th,
about setting up a regularly scheduled second meeting to work on just the strategic
plan. The suggested time would be the 4th Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. at Station 1. The
second meeting in May will be dependent upon the sub-group of the Board meeting
to determine how to proceed and develop recommendations for inclusion in the
strategic plan. He is not looking to exclude anyone from discussions; however, he
first would like to have enough information for the Board to have a useful
conversation at an additional meeting. Board members agreed that the 4th Tuesday
of the month would work for their schedules. However, in May some of the Board
members have conflicts so that time might be used by the sub-group to begin their
work. Chair Gilligan shared that he reviewed the New York City Fire Department’s
Strategic Plan for 2015-2017. That plan is a two year strategic plan; his thought was
that the City’s plan would be more long term than that.
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes May 9, 2017
7
Commissioner Guttridge agreed that to accomplish anything the City should develop
a plan for a much longer time span. The elements of the plan could include the life
cycle of the various apparatus of the fire department, and the City’s facilities plan.
The net result of what might be envisioned into reality would not be possible in a two
year plan.
The elements can design what the plan will look like in twenty years with standard
type items. The Board would need to also get the buy in to the plan from many
different levels of staff and community members in order for it to be inclusive and
meet the needs of both the department and the community.
Commissioner Sallinger agreed, and noted that he had been doing research on fire
department strategic plans online; most range from 25 pagers to 500 pages. In
doing that review, there seemed to be consistency by all of the departments in the
length of their plans of between 5 and10 years, with 5 years being the most
common. He would encourage board members to read those plans found online
because they follow a fairly common template in layout and would save the Board
time by not having to reinvent the format. He noted that in strategic plans that were
lengthy, the 500 pagers, it always involved a consultant working with the department.
He thinks that research might help Board members get a better understanding of the
strategic planning process and also see how other department’s approached their
development of a plan.
Chair Gilligan stated that the NYS Local Government Strategic Plan Guide seems to
show a process for the development of a strategic plan and would be a good
guide/template for the Board to follow.
Chief Parsons stated that the NYC FD’s plan built goals into their plan, which he
thinks is a good way to do it. The 5 year plan goals would typically be evolutionary
and reviewed every 5 years to see if any changes need to be made. If goals of the
department were built right into the plan and revisited each year, he feels that would
be the way for the City to proceed. When the plans are reviewed at that 5 year point
members of the community or other resources might not be available to meet some
of the goals so they could be revisited and revised on an ongoing basis. He shared
that he had been on a school board and has experienced the development of a
strategic plan. The school board developed the goals (with participation of both staff
and the public for input to establish achievable goals), those goals were then shared
them with the administration, and then the administration worked to achieve the
goals. The Board was constantly reviewing the plan to check on the status of the
goals and why or why not they were being met. He feels that it would not be
practical for the Board to develop a strategic plan, and then just file it away. The
plan should be considered a living document to be reviewed annually, then the goals
become more manageable for the department to achieve. He also liked NYC FD’s
inclusion of diversity goals in their plan, and he would also want to include them in
the city’s plan.
Commissioner Guttridge shared the term “donut hole planning”, which is a plan that
includes goals that are far enough away to be meaningful and then develop a
concrete plan on how to reach them. Some of the more immediate goals should be
met and for the bigger goals they can be worked on as time goes by.
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes May 9, 2017
8
Chief Parsons stated that the Board needs to first identify and invite stakeholders to
participate in the Board’s strategic planning meetings. They would not be an
audience member but an active participant, along with Board members. They should
be willing to participate long-term and commit to remaining until the plan is finalized
and approved.
Chair Gilligan suggested that the initial effort of the Board be to develop goals for the
plan that will attract stakeholders. He also feels that the Mayor or Town Supervisor
should then invite those stakeholders to participate. The Board can identify and
invite the internal stakeholders (members from the fire department), but it will need
assistance to determine stakeholders outside of the fire department.
Commissioner Guttridge encouraged the Board to invite all the possible stakeholders
to participate in the development of the plan right now so that everyone has voice
and opportunity to work on process with the Board.
Chair Gilligan voiced his opinion that the sub-group of the Board needs to first meet,
that meeting would not be open to the public. The purpose of the meeting would be
to determine what the plan should look like, what the process should look like,
engage the Mayor for his input, and then look at determine who and inviting the
stakeholders.
Commissioner Guttridge offered that the whole point of this exercise for the Board is
to develop a strategic plan for what the Ithaca Fire Department of the future might
look like. Anything more specific than that can’t be developed without the
participation of all the stakeholders – fire department staff, the public, and other staff
from the very beginning. He feels that a more open process for the development of
the plan would be the way to go rather than not.
Chair Gilligan would like to first focus on city and town training issues, shared
services, additional and consistent training of volunteers, increased support for
volunteers that would provide a savings to the department in terms of equipment.
He would like the focus to be on what the City of Ithaca Fire Department can do for
itself first and then establish other relationships. He doesn’t want the goals to be
unmet or unachievable by trying to develop a bigger plan than that. Problems can’t
be addressed unless resources are provided that are needed or resources are being
used to their best ability.
Commissioner Guttridge encouraged the Board to identify the environment the fire
department operates in now and how that affects the operation of the department
first. The Board can’t solve the problem with training, but it can advocate and
identify that topic as a key organizational challenge. The work that the Board needs
to focus on when the plan is developed is to identify current problems/issues and
determine what goals they want developed for the future. In the future it may be that
Tompkins County will want to use the City’s strategic plan document since it will
contain that information about the fire department that might be used to determine
what, if any, shared services might be possible between the department and the
county.
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes May 9, 2017
9
Chief Parsons explained that the current problem with volunteer training is the time
commitment. In the past volunteers only had to complete 40 hours of training, that
has changed and it now they are required to complete 110 hours of training.
Volunteers aren’t able to make the time commitment for training because of that.
The City doesn’t have resources to provide that kind of training and the county is
having a challenge keeping enough students in the classes that are offered. That is
why it has become so challenging to find volunteers for departments across New
York State, this is not just a problem in the City of Ithaca. Mutual aid resources are
suffering, drivers are not available to drive the fire trucks and it is a real issue for the
smaller municipalities. Twenty years ago there were no problems with volunteers,
the City of Ithaca Fire Department was not called upon to provide mutual aid
because it was not needed. Right now, because of the decrease in the number of
volunteers, the City of Ithaca Fire Department is being relied upon more and more to
provide mutual aid to those local fire departments.
New Business:
Resolution Authorizing Use of 1896 Steamer by the Ithaca Paid Fire
Fighters Association for the 2017 Ithaca Festival Parade on June 2, 2017
By Commissioner Guttridge: Seconded by Vice Chair Sparks
WHEREAS, members of the Ithaca Paid Fire Fighter's Association, I.P.F.F.A.,
and members of Company 9 have requested to participate in the Ithaca
Festival Parade on Friday, June 2; and
WHEREAS, the Ithaca Paid Fire Fighters Association, I.P.F.F.A, has
requested the use of the 1896 American LaFrance Steamer to be pulled in the
parade; and
WHEREAS, the I.P.F.F.A will hire a team of horses and driver to pull the
Steamer in the Parade; and
WHEREAS, the Steamer is currently housed and on- display under the
stewardship of the Ithaca Veteran Volunteer Firemen's Association at their
facility on the Elmira Road under the terms of a long-term agreement between
the Board of Fire Commissioners and the IVVFA; and
WHEREAS, the department will provide the department’s special services
vehicle to transport members, and a pickup truck - trailer combination to
transport the Steamer to and from the parade site; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Board of Fire Commissioners of the City of Ithaca
hereby approves the I.P.F.F.A request to use and display the 1896 American
LaFrance Steamer on June 2, 2017, in the Ithaca Festival Parade in the City
of Ithaca; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the I.P.F.F.A will coordinate with the Ithaca Veteran
Volunteer Firemen's Association to make arrangements to pick up the
Steamer at a mutually agreeable time within the week preceding the parade
and return it to the IVVFA Elmira Road facility sometime during the week
following the parade; and, be it further
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes May 9, 2017
10
RESOLVED, That the I.P.F.F.A shall be financially responsible for all costs,
including but not limited to liability insurance, for the team of horses and their
driver. Such costs may be offset by contributions made from other
organizations and individuals; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Board of Fire Commissioners of the City of Ithaca will
authorize up to $200 from the Donation fund, should the I.P.F.F.A not receive
at least $400 from other individuals or entities to defray the cost associated
with use of the Steamer in the Ithaca Festival Parade.
Chair Gilligan stated that the Board received a request from Lt. Basher regarding the
use of the 1896 American LaFrance Steamer in the Ithaca Festival Parade. The
request is for funding assistance from the Board to pay for the horses to pull the
steamer. This is similar to the request that was made in January for the use of the
steamer in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Binghamton. The Ithaca Paid Fire
Fighters Union paid the entire cost for the horses to pull the steamer in January. He
sent the request to Company #9 for assistance with funding the complete cost or at
least half the cost ($200). If Company #9 does not support the request, then he
would like the Board to fund it. He would like the Board and/or Company #9 to
provide all the funding for the horses. He would also like to request that if the Board
does need to provide the funding, that the Donation Fund be used for it.
Commissioner Sallinger asked about the history of the Donation Fund as it appears
to be an inactive account since the balance remains the same from month to month.
It seems like it’s been flowing out more than in recently.
Chair Gilligan explained that the Donation Fund was set up for contributions from
individuals in response to efforts by department members at different incidents.
When volunteer numbers were higher, the account was very active with significant
contributions from community members. NYSEG made a large donation, and a
donation was made for a piece of equipment. The account used to receive
donations throughout the years of anywhere from $100 - $500; donations in recent
times have been fewer and fewer. The money is typically used to pay for different
expenses; for example, the purchase of American Flags for the City of Ithaca
Cemetery, or for the cost of participation in various parades by department
members. Thus, the request before the Board right now for the use of Donation
Funds to pay for the cost of the horses to pull the steamer. The funds have also
been used to pay for longevity awards for department members or other special
recognition awards. The department does not actively solicit funds for the account.
He will provide a report on the account’s history for the Board’s next meeting. It will
be useful information for the Board to have as far as what will happen to the funds
should the Board be disbanded.
The Rescue Squad Fund was originally started in 1972, and was established for the
Emergency Medical Services program, as a pilot program, that the public was
encouraged to donate to. Those funds were then used to buy equipment; there
hasn’t been a lot of activity with that account either in the past few years.
Vice Chair Sparks stated that the last donation to the Donation Fund that he
remembers was for the department’s safe rescue of a duck family.
Board of Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes May 9, 2017
11
Chief Parsons also noted that the donation fund also received a significant
contribution in the past couple of years from the family of a gentleman who did a lot
of repair work on the department’s apparatus.
A Vote on the Resolution Resulted as Follows
Carried Unanimously
Adjournment:
On a motion the meeting adjourned 1720 hours.
_____________________________ _____________________________
Sarah L. Myers, William Gilligan,
Information Management Specialist Chair
MEMORANDUM
To: Board of Fire Commissioners
From: Tom Parsons, Fire Chief
Date: May 9th, 2017
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
63 Uniform Personnel
1 Administrative Coordinator
Total employees as of April 30th, 2017 – 64
a) Vacancies
None
b) Retirements:
None
c) Hiring/Promotions
None
Page 2 of 5 - Fire Chief’s Monthly Report May 9th, 2017
2) Budget Report
a) 2017 Budget: Budget Summary – see accompanying report
3) County Communications and 911 Programs:
a) No Update: Tompkins County is in the process of installing and testing an
automatic voice dispatch system. The new dispatch system will cause an
automated voice to be transmitted alerting responders of an emergency incident.
The system will reduce the time between when an incident is entered into the
Computer Aided Dispatch System, and a voice alert goes out to the fire stations
and voice pagers.
4) Grants and Donations
a) The New Breathing Air Compressor approved by the Board of Fire
Commissioners will be delivered in the next couiple of weeks. The funding for
the compressor is coming from the 2015 Assistance to Firefighting Grant
Program. We are approved to receive $45,455 towards the replacement of the
compressor.
5) Collegetown Fire Station
No Update
5) Apparatus
No Update
5) Fire Training Center
In March, Stopen Engineering was contracted to perform a structural inspection
on our Rope Rescue Tower and the Burn Building at the training center. On April
6th, I received the engineer’s report for the Burn Building. The engineer has
recommended that the building not be used until some items identified in their
report are repaired.
Two of the City’s engineers, and I met with Kevin Place, who’s a principle with
Stopen Engineering, to go over the report and review the facility. There are two
items to fix at the burn building before we can use it for live fire training. Stopen
is finishing it’s analysis of the Rope Tower. I understand from the meeting that
the Engineer will have some recommended remedial work for us to do at the rope
tower and the burn tower so we can continue the use of both of those structures
for the next 5-10 years.
Page 3 of 5 - Fire Chief’s Monthly Report May 9th, 2017
LIFE SAFETY DIVISION
Fire Prevention Bureau
1) Code Enforcement Division: The following is a list of Activities for April 2017:
Complaints Received 35
Referred to the City Building Division 19
Referred to the Town of Ithaca 6
Investigated by the Fire Prevention Bureau 10
Inspections: 104
City Fire Safety & Property Maintenance 41
City - Permit Required City Fire Safety 29
Town Fire Safety & Property 4
City - Sprinkler Inspections 12
City - Alternative Fire Protection Systems 0
City - Fire Alarm Inspection 11
City – Standpipe Hydrostatic Test 2
City - Standpipe Flow Test 3
City – Fire Pump Flow Test 0
City – Elevator 2
Permits or Certificates: 57
Operating Permit – Assembly Occupancy 19
Operating Permit – Large Assembly Occupancy 2
Operating Permit – Hazardous Occupancy 0
Operating Permit – Lumber Yard 0
Operating Permit – Elevator 3
Operating Permit – Fireworks 0
Certificate of Compliance – Occupancy 15
Certificate of Compliance – School 0
Certificate of Compliance - Fire Alarm 5
Certificate of Compliance - Fire Sprinkler 2
Certificate of Compliance - Fire Pump 0
Certificate of Compliance – Fire Standpipe 3
Occupancy Posting Certificate 8
Certificate of Compliance - Alternative Suppression 0
Page 4 of 5 - Fire Chief’s Monthly Report May 9th, 2017
2) Fire Investigation Unit:
There were three fire investigations in April.
The first investigations was for a fire at 312 Third Street in the City of Ithaca.
The cause of the fire was a failed electrical fixture.
The second fire investigation was for a fire a 715 Cliff Street in the City of Ithaca.
The cause of that fire was improperly discarged smoking materials.
The third investigation was for a fire at 225 Coddington Road in the Town of
Ithaca. The cause of the fire was determined to be damaged electrical cord.
3) Public Education and Special Events
Public Education Events: 3
Fire Drills Witnessed: 1
Child Safety Seat Inspections: 8
OPERATIONS DIVISION
1) Emergency Response:
2) Emergency Response:
April 2017 Responses - 440 Incidents
City of Ithaca: 291 Incidents (66.14%)
Fires: 7
Overpressure/Rupture 0
EMS/Rescue: 104
Hazardous Conditions: 12
Service Calls: 18
Good Intent: 56
Alarms/No Fires: 94
Severe Weather: 0
Other: 0
Town of Ithaca: 146 Incidents (33.18%)
Fires: 4
Overpressure/Rupture: 1
Page 5 of 5 - Fire Chief’s Monthly Report May 9th, 2017
EMS/Rescue: 90
Hazardous Conditions: 6
Service Calls: 4
Good Intent: 19
Alarms/No Alarm: 22
Severe Weather: 0
Other: 0
Mutual Aid: 3 Incidents (0.68%)
Fires: 0
Overpressure/Rupture: 0
EMS/Rescue: 2
Hazardous Conditions: 0
Service Calls: 0
Good Intent: 1
Alarms/No Fires: 0
Severe Weather: 0
Simultaneous Incidents: 66 Incidents (15.00%)
3) Emergency Management :
No Report.
4) Mutual Aid Calls: Quarterly Report
Support
1) Training
Quarterly Report
2) Training Center
Quarterly Report
Volunteer Recruitment and Retention
1) Summaries of Service Hours: Quarterly Report
2) There are currently 14 Active Volunteer Firefighters and Fire Police; and 3 Probationary
Volunteer Firefighters
3) There are no applications pending review by the interview committee and Company 9.
Board of Fire Commissioners
Report to Ithaca Town Board
May 8, 2017
The following is a summary of the Board of Fire Commissioners quarterly report to the Ithaca
Town Board for the first quarter of 2017.
Included with this report are:
• The Fire Chief’s Report given at the April 11, 2017 BFC meeting. This includes the Fire
Marshal’s Report & Fire Prevention Bureau activity.
• The department call activity reports for January 1- March 31. 2017. Total calls for the
first quarter were 1,184 (slightly lower than the 1st quarter of the prior 2 years – 1,228 &
1,197 respectively).
• The financial operations summary through March 31, 2017.
Fire Department Operational Staffing (March 31, 2017).
• As of March 31, 2017 the active Uniformed staff totaled 63 (1 Chief, 6 Assistant Chiefs,
8 lieutenants, & 46 Fire Fighters plus 1 Deputy Chief on per diem). In addition there is
1 Administrative Coordinator for a total of 64 personnel.
• In addition to these 63 uniformed staff, 4 additional fire fighters have been hired and are
currently undergoing training. They are expected to be available and assigned to shift
duty later this summer. These positions are fully funded by a federal SAFER grant (see
grants below).
Budget - The 2017 Ithaca City budget approved by Common Council in November
2016, increased by slightly less than 2%, to $10,060,747 including debt service and employee
benefits. The 2017 budget includes funding for a full time deputy chief position beginning in
December of 2017.
As of March 31, 2017 of the $6,298,082 operating budget (excludes benefit costs and debt
service) $1,435,475 or slightly less than 23% of the approved funds have been spent.
Training Facility The Chief reported that the Department’s Rope Rescue Tower and the burn
building have been temporarily placed out of service as a result of some potential structural
safety issues with them. Stopen Engineering was contracted with and the Chief will be
reviewing their report on the facilities with them and the City Engineer to develop a plan for
repairing the facility. He anticipates that the buildings will be available in a few weeks after
mitigation work is performed. The longer term status of the training facility and its location will
be a topic included in the development of the Department’s Strategic plan.
Strategic Plan for Fire Department - The Mayor has asked the Board of Fire Commissioners
to take the lead in developing a strategic plan for the Fire Department. The Board began
discussions of what the planning process would entail at its January meeting. Subsequent to the
January discussion, a meeting was held with the Mayor to clarify the scope of this effort and the
potential resources available to support the effort. A special BoFC meeting was held on April
25th to focus more closely on how to organize the planning effort. Previous Strategic plans
developed by the department have been distributed to the Board for review including the 1986
effort that developed the plan for the current relationship between the City and the Town for Fire
Services, including the relocation of two fire stations from the City to the Town and increasing
Board of Fire Commissioners
Report to Ithaca Town Board
May 8, 2017
the Board of Fire Commissioners from 3 to 5 individuals with the intent that this two positions
would be filled by individuals recommended by the Town Board. The group is looking at other
strategic plans from other departments and the NYS document on developing a strategic plan.
The Board is discussing the scope of the planning effort both in terms of the time span to be
considered 5-10 -20 years, the breadth of the study – current service area or including issues of
concern to other fire districts in the County. We are also reviewing documents such as the ISSO
report received last fall and the Station 9 relocation study. A member of the BFC has been
named to the County EMS Task Force and the information from this group will be incorporated
into our planning process development. The Board recognizes that to develop a comprehensive
plan will in all likelihood require establishing a separate Ad Hoc group that will allow broad
participation by a variety of stakeholders and subject area experts on issues that need to be
considered in the plan. We also wish to make sure that this important effort will be structured
such that the work involved can continue even if the City makes changes to the role of the Board
of Fire Commissioners or consolidates its functions into one of four proposed commissions that
are under discussion by the Common Council.
Boards & Committees Reorganization Working Group – two members of the BoFC
participated in the May 2, 2017 meeting held by the BCRWG with members of the 12 entities
that the working group has proposed be merged into 4 Commissions that would become
responsible for the tasks and functions previously covered by those 12 entities. Seven of the
twelve groups were represented at this meeting and all indicated that they had significant
concerns about the proposed change. Concerns were expressed about loss of focus on the areas
that the existing groups have been tasked to cover and a loss of diversity of opinions and
perspectives with the proposed restructuring. Concern was also expressed that the structural
support issues that affect the current groups should be addressed before making any
reorganizational changes – i.e. develop a new application that will better identify volunteer’s area
of interest and expertise, better web based information on need for and opportunities for
volunteering with the city, identify and share best practices by existing committees, etc.
The members of the BCRWG indicated that they anticipated that the 4 commissions would
allow a more efficient and consistent use of city staff resources since some of the groups do not
currently have staff support or a common Council liaison attending their meetings. It will
provide a standard path for issues to be brought before Common Council and provide groups that
the Common Council can refer issues to for consideration.
The BCRWG members indicated that they will be meeting to consider the input provided by
those attending the meeting.
Apparatus - The two new pumper engines, ordered from Seagrave Fire Apparatus, LLC and
received earlier in the year, are in service.
Grants
The Department received a grant for $45,455 towa rds the replacement of the 20 year old
compressor that is used to refill the departments breathing air tanks. It is expected that the new
compressor will be installed by the end of May.
The department was awarded a $634,016 SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and
Board of Fire Commissioners
Report to Ithaca Town Board
May 8, 2017
Emergency Response) grant to add 4 additional career staff to the department for a 2 year period.
The positions are fully funded on the grant and require that no reduction from current staffing
levels occur during the grant period. At the end of the period the City will have to determine if
the positions will continue to be supported on the department’s operating budget. Four individuals
have been hired to fill these positions and are currently in training and will be assigned to a shift
sometime this summer.
Board of Fire Commissioners
The BFC meeting agendas/minutes (dating back to October 1987) may be accessed from the
Board of Fire Commissioner’s section of the City Website at:
http://www.cityofithaca.org/367/Board-of-Fire-Commissioners
BFC Appointments - Currently all positions on the Board are filled. Mr. Larry Salinger, Town
of Ithaca, took his oath of office prior to the Board’s April meeting and is a valuable addition to
the Board. Two Commissioners have terms ending June 30, 2017: Commissioner Sparks from
the City and Commissioner Gilligan from the Town.
Volunteer Program Development
There are currently 14 active members of Volunteer Company No. 9 who serve the department.
In addition, there are 3 provisional members of the Company, currently enrolled in the County’s
Basic Exterior Fireground Operations course (BEFO). They will complete this course in the
next few weeks. All 3 are interested in becoming certified as interior firefighters and it is
expected that the County will offer the interior training course later this year. There is also 1
new provisional member who will be attending the Cortland County 3 week “bootcamp” interior
firefighter training session this summer.
An open house and volunteer recruitment event was held in conjunction with FASNY’s
(Firemen’s Association of the State of New York) statewide recruiting weekend on April 29th at
Station 1 – Central fire house. Unfortunately, this effort did not result in any response from the
public or individuals interested in learning about volunteering with the department. Volunteer
Company 9 and Department will be reviewing this effort and seeing what options are available
for making the public more aware of the fact that Ithaca is a combination Fire Department.
An ad hoc committee consisting of 2 members of the Board (Commissioners Gilligan &
Guttridge), Chief Parsons, Assistant Chief /Training Officer Weinstein, plus a member from
Company 9 will continue working to address various volunteer issues including training,
recruitment, and retention.
Other Items & Items in progress
1 There has been an improvement in the on-going issue with the CAD (computer aided
dispatch) system used by the 911 Center. It appears that software and hardware updates
made by the dispatch center as well as quality control training have improved the
Center’s protocol for dispatching a Fire Engine to certain lower risk EMS calls. This will
potentially allow a reduction in the number of EMS calls requiring a response from the
Department. The 911 Center is in the process of installing and testing an automatic voice
Board of Fire Commissioners
Report to Ithaca Town Board
May 8, 2017
dispatch system. The new dispatch system will cause an automated voice to be
transmitted alerting responders of an emergency incident.
2 The Board is holding information sessions regarding departmental operations prior to the
beginning of the formal BFC meetings. These sessions provide an opportunity to learn
more about specific areas of department operations such as organization of department
into shifts, protocols for dispatching apparatus based on criteria established with County
911 center, EMS call response protocols, Hazmat operations, Code division work, Rope
rescue operations, water rescue, equipment and vehicles used by the department, etc. In
conjunction with these sessions, the Board is also discussing with the Chief the
possibility of scheduling an annual or semi-annual session at the training center that
would provide an opportunity to provide a live demonstration of the responses required
by the department to emergency incidents.
3 Charter Review- the Board is continuing its discussion of the role of BFC. We are
working with the Board’s Common Council Liaison Gearhart, the Common Council, and
Town Board to clarify and update the role of the BFC.
4 Resource recovery/False Alarm Policy – Currently on hold pending review with the City
Attorney.
5 County Fire-Disaster – EMS Advisory Board– no new action on this issue.
6 Training Center Facility Project –no construction has been authorized due to the training
site being located on land designated as City Park land. The Training facility will be
included in the strategic planning process.
Respectfully Submitted, Bill Gilligan, Chair, Board of Fire Commissioners