EAST
Board
of Fire
December 18, 2007
CALL TO ORDER:
The
meeting was called to order by Chairman
The
following were in attendance:
THE BOARD LACKED A QUORUM:
Commissioner
Larson adjusted the Agenda to handle items that required no official Board
action.
FIRE DISTRICT BUSINESS:
Chairman
Larson noted that Camas Fire Chief Leo Leon had attended tonight’s Board
Meeting to address concerns, voiced by Fire District Residents/Camas
Professional Fire Fighters at the last Regular Board Meeting, regarding the
future of ambulance transport—for ECF&R Customers—from Camas Ambulance.
Chairman
Larson noted that the consensus of the ECF&R Board is to pass the Lid Lift,
first, then consider
Chairman
Larson further noted that he—and Commissioner Hoober—had recently talked with
Camas Mayor Paul Dennis about ECF&R’s Lid Lift; EMS funding; more
cooperative interaction between ECF&R and the City of
Chief
Leon noted that he has been looking at the financial impacts, to the City of
Camas Ambulance can not continue to provide
unsubsidized service for two reasons:
one financial (as previously discussed); and one political—Washougal
voters may not renew their EMS Levy if they see that ECF&R gets the same
level of service they do, without subsidy.
Chief Leon stated that losing Washougal’s subsidy would be the end of
Camas Ambulance. The Ambulance can not
survive on just a Camas EMS Levy.
Chief Leon stated that change will occur—Camas
Ambulance will no longer respond into ECF&R—unless subsidy is
provided. However,
To continue receiving service from Camas Ambulance,
Leon stated that ECF&R will have to provide $0.35 per $1,000 of Assessed
Valuation—by January 1, 2009 (or April 30th if additional levies are
passed in 2008). He does not care if
those funds are EMS Levy funds, combination of EMS & Fire Levy funds,
etc. The Ambulance just can’t continue
serving Customers who do not subsidize the ambulance.
Camas Fire-Rescue is willing to mail notification,
regarding ending ambulance service, to ECF&R residents. Kevin Bergstrom, President of Camas
Professional Fire Fighters Association stated that their
Commissioner Larson thanked Chief Leon and Kevin
Bergstrom for attending tonight’s Board Meeting. He advised them that following the February
19th Lid Lift ballot, ECF&R could then consider its options for
Larson noted that ECF&R is well aware of the
concerns surrounding ALS Ambulance Transport—and will consider
It will be very, very important to send clear
messages—to our Customers—about ballot issues.
It would be counter-productive to overlap messages about the Lid Lift
and the EMS Levy—or—to overlap ballot issues.
Chief Leon thanked the Board for this opportunity to
discuss
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC:
There
were no public comments.
CORRESPONDENCE:
International
Association of Fire Chiefs—Congress
Passes Bill Protecting Volunteer Fire Fighter and
There is another bill, being considered by Congress,
to extend the timeframe of this exemption through 2015. Fire & EMS agencies—and Volunteers—are
urged to contact their Federal Senators urging passage of HR 3997.
CHIEF OFFICER REPORTS:
Chief Koehler provided the
following written report on activities/events that have occurred since the last
Regular Board Meeting:
Calls: Projected:
584
Calls 1.65
Calls/day 605/year
Examples:
6
4 MVA without Injuries
2 Chimney Fires
1
Fire Alarm
1 Burning Complaint
1 Assist Washougal
Fire—Structure Fire—E1-5, Air, Rehab
1 Non-Response due to Address Error—Washougal
Fire & Rescue
Met with Camas Fire &
Rescue Chief Leon to Discuss Ambulance Issues.
Dealing with
Assisted with SCBA Bid
Preparation.
GETS cards received for
Elected Officials and Chief Officers.
Waiting for DRAFT Interlocal
Agreement from Washougal’s City Attorney for the FIT Test Machine.
Participated in Joint Fire
Chiefs & Law Enforcement Council Meeting.
Sent 2 Personnel to
Instructor I Written/Practical Testing.
Certified Training
Instructors on Use of “Live Fire” Prop at Station 1-3.
Preparing for Cadet “Live
Fire” Burn—to occur tomorrow.
Preparing for Holiday
Gathering—scheduled for next Thursday.
Assistant
Chief Jacobs was not able to attend tonight’s meeting.
Assistant
Chief Thornberry reviewed his written report.
VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION:
MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS:
There were no miscellaneous reports.
COMMISSIONER RASMUSSEN ARRIVES—THE BOARD
HAS A QUORUM:
Commissioner Rasmussen arrived at 7:45 PM.
AGENDA ADJUSTMENTS:
Commissioner
Larson sought adjustments to the Agenda.
There
were none.
CONSENT AGENDA:
·
Approval of
Minutes:
§
December 4, 2007
Regular Board Meeting Minutes
§
December 4, 2007
Local BVFF&RO Meeting Minutes
·
Approval of
December 18, 2007 Financial Report
¨ Excuse (Absent) Commissioners: Cox and Goodnight
MOTION (by Hoober): To approve the
Consent Agenda. SECONDED (by Clancy). Passed Unanimously.
FIRE DISTRICT BUSINESS (continued):
Award
Bid: Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus. Chief Koehler
provided the Board with specifications for high-pressure 30-minute MSA
Airpacks—compliant with the 2007 edition of the NFPA standards for
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus.
Additionally,
the Board received a quote from SeaWestern—the only Fire Service distributor of
MSA Airpacks in our region—which meets ECF&R’s specifications. The quote covers 48 SCBAs, 61 facepieces, 61
facepiece bags and 43 mounting brackets.
This equipment is what was approved by the Department of Homeland
Security’s (DHS) Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant. Total project cost—including Washington State
Sales Tax—is $288,554.18. This price
covers shipping costs, and training of personnel on the use of the new SCBAs.
The
Board was provided with two Purchasing Request Forms: one for the equipment discussed—plus
equipment needed to upgrade 2 West Battalion RIT Kits—totaling $293,430.72. This purchase will be paid by DHS. The second Purchase Request is for 1 RIT Kit
Upgrade—needed for the third West Battalion RIT Kit—totaling $2,439.00. This purchase will be made using East County
Fire & Rescue funds (because the AFG allows only a maximum of $5,000 of
unspent grant money to be used to support/complete/purchase any equipment/incidentals
beyond the approved project).
RIT
Kits are carried on each Engine—so the Fire District must standardize all
five. Two existing MSA RIT Kits required
only minor in-house work. The three West
Battalion RIT Kits are the ones being upgraded from Survivair to MSA.
Captain
NOTE: The SCBA bottles will have the Fire
District’s name and a tracking number sealed into the exterior wrapping. This will eliminate the loss of ID tags that
currently happens as ‘stick-on’ materials are rubbed off over time.
The
Board thanked Captain Long, Chief Thornberry and other Members who helped
develop the specifications for ECF&R’s new Airpacks. Captain Long advised the Board that
Administrative Specialist
Chief
Jacobs requested that training be provided to the Emergency Response Team on
the operation of the new Airpacks.
Chief
Koehler advised the Board that this purchase meets the State of
Koehler
advised that Administrative Assistant Tammy Dinius had done a lot of research
on the Sole Source project—including having phone contact with the State
Auditor’s Office—and Administrative Specialist
Chief
Koehler feels that the Fire District has met—and—exceeded the State’s
requirements for Sole Source purchasing AND has met the Fed’s requirements for
interoperability. The Board was asked if
they felt comfortable moving forward with the purchase of SCBAs.
MOTION (by Clancy): To approve the two Purchasing
Requests—one for new MSA airparks and related equipment, in the amount of $293,430.72,
to be funded by the Department of Homeland Security; the second, in the amount
of $ 2,439.00, for equipment to update a RIT Kit, to be funded by East County
Fire &Rescue. SECONDED (by Hoober). Passed Unanimously.
FIT
Test Equipment. The City of
Chief
Hershaw, Washougal Public Safety Director, has offered to trade WF&R’s
pneumatic air pump (currently built-in to Air 1-3’s SCBA refilling system) in
exchange for ECF&R paying the cost of Washougal’s 1/3rd of the
FIT Testing equipment. If new, the value
of the pneumatic air pump would be approximately $6,000. Washougal’s 1/3rd of the FIT
Testing equipment should be less than $3,000.
This seems to be a pretty reasonable trade considering that the
pneumatic pump doubles the number of SCBA bottles that can be filled by the air
truck AND such a trade would keep the Air Unit operable—without having to
re-plumb the SCBA refill system (which would be required if the pneumatic pump
had been removed/returned to Washougal).
Chief
Koehler suggested that ECF&R could agree to pay Washougal’s 1/3rd
of the FIT Testing equipment—providing the payment is made out of FY2007’s
budget AND all ownership paperwork (for the pneumatic pump), as well as the
Interlocal Agreement (for the FIT Testing Equipment) is completed/approved
before the payment is turned over to the City.
MOTION (by Clancy): To approve paying
Washougal’s 1/3rd of the cost of the FIT Test equipment, contingent
upon receipt of proper transfer of ownership paperwork for the pneumatic pump on
Air 1-3 AND completion of an Interlocal Agreement with Camas and Washougal for
ownership/operation of the FIT Testing equipment . SECONDED (by Hoober). Passed Unanimously.
Public
Newsletter. The newsletter has been mailed—and has been
received by local residents. The
District has received only one phone call—following delivery of that
document. The caller shared his
overwhelming dislike of government—but had no specific complaints about the
Fire District.
Chief
Koehler will develop a draft letter—for distribution to residents immediately
prior to the February 19th ballot.
The draft document will be emailed to the Board for their review prior
to the next Regular Meeting.
Lid
Lift—February 19th . The Lid Lift—seeking to return the Fire Levy to
$1.25—will be featured on the February 19th ballot. The last day to pull the ballot measure from
the election is December 28th.
The Board’s previous concern about the February 19th election
was cost—especially if the Fire District had the only issue on the ballot. Since this election will be the Presidential
Preference Primary, the State of
The
Board was OK with keeping the Lid Lift on the February 19th ballot.
Debt Forgiveness Request. There were two
Debt Forgiveness Requests to consider by the Sub-Committee.
The Debt Forgiveness Sub-Committee felt that the
Forgiveness request from the City of
MOTION (by Hoober): To grant no debt
forgiveness to the City of
The
Sub-Committee felt that the Forgiveness request from Customer “LH” should be
honored due to her extremely low level of income. Based upon income information provided, the
Sub-Committee felt complete forgiveness was appropriate.
MOTION (by Hoober): To grant 100% debt
forgiveness to Customer “LH” based upon her extremely low income level. SECONDED (by Rasmussen). Passed Unanimously.
Sale/Lease
of Old Station 1-1. Staff received two offers, today, on the old
station. These two offers will be
discussed in Executive Session, tonight.
Councilmatic
Bonds. The Clark County Treasurer’s Office has
confirmed receipt of the money generated by the December 5th bond
sale.
Adopt
Agency Policies:
language, regarding legal action against persons who
do not contact the Fire District
regarding their EMS First Response invoices—or—refuse
to pay them, has been revised.
The language changes were emailed to the Board prior
to tonight’s Board Meeting.
MOTION (by Hoober): To adopt the updated
Response Billing & Collection Policy.
SECONDED (by Clancy). Passed
Unanimously.
Volunteer Reimbursement Schedule. The lump sums
awarded to Volunteers who stand Day Duty have been updated—after
three-and-one-half years without any changes.
Wage Scale for Part-Time Employees.
again, on January 1st. These wage scales have been updated to
reflect those pending changes.
MOTION (by Clancy): To approve the Volunteer
Reimbursement Schedule and the Wage Scale for Part-Time Employees. SECONDED (by Hoober). Passed Unanimously.
Elect
New Board Officers/Assignments for FY2008. Board assignments for FY2008
need to be completed—in anticipation of the new year. These assignments can be done tonight or at
the first meeting of 2008. After
discussion, the consensus of the Board resulted in these assignments:
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOARD FOR VOLUNTEER FFs—Alternate
Chair Larson Chair Larson Clancy
Vice
Chair Cox Commissioner Cox Goodnight
Auditor Rasmussen Chief Thornberry Jacobs
Financial Clancy Fire Fighters Rep
Secretary Koehler Rasmussen
Debt Forgiveness Subcommittee:
Cox
Goodnight
Rasmussen
MOTION (by Rasmussen): To accept the
assignments for the Board of Fire Commissioners, as discussed. SECONDED (by Clancy). Passed Unanimously.
MOTION (by Larson): To accept the
assignments for the Local Board for Volunteer Fire Fighters & Reserve
Officers, as discussed. SECONDED (by Clancy). Passed Unanimously.
FY2008
Goals & Objectives. Chief Koehler presented a document with DRAFT
Goals & Objectives for FY2008. These
G&Os were developed by Chiefs Jacobs, Koehler & Thornberry. Chief Koehler will finalize the document—for
adoption at the next Regular Board Meeting.
He asked the Board and Staff to provide any updates/ideas/changes to him
in the next few days. The finalized
draft will be emailed to the Board for their review—prior to the next Meeting.
LOCAL BOARD FOR VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTERS
& RESERVE OFFICERS
Chairman
ROUND TABLE
ECF&R Annual
Quarterly Planning Workshop—January 10th, 4:30 PM, Station 1-5
CERT Class—February 21—April 17, 2008, Station 1-4
RECOGNITION OF THE HOOBERS
Commissioner Larson thanked
Commissioner Jack Hoober and PIO Nancy Hoober for their many years of service
to the Fire District. Commissioner
Hoober’s term expires December 31st.
PIO Hoober will transition her duties over time.
The Board and audience all
expressed their appreciation to the Hoobers for the many, many good things that
they have done for the Fire District over their many years with the
Agency. Cake and coffee were provided
for everyone.
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
The Board recessed into Executive Session at 9:08 PM
to discuss Real Estate Contracts and Disciplinary Actions. The estimated time for this session was 10
minutes.
BOARD RECONVENES:
The Board returned to regular session at 9:18 PM.
Chairman Larson advised that there is potential for a
Special Meeting, before the end of this year, to deal with the sale of Old
Station 1-1.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 9:19 PM.
The next Regular Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,
January 2, 2008; Station 1-5, 7 PM. This
meeting was moved to Wednesday due to the New Year’s
Respectfully
Submitted,
EAST
by
________________________________ Absent ____________________
John
Clancy, Commissioner Harry Goodnight, Commissioner
Absent
__________________________ __________________________ ____
Greg
Cox, Commissioner Gary Larson, Chairman
________________________________ ________________________________
George
F. Hoober, Vice-Chair Victor
Rasmussen, Commissioner
ATTEST: DISTRICT
SEAL:
___________________________________