March 22 2012 Fire Commissioners Meeting Minutes

Board of Fire Commissioners

Notes of Regular Meeting held March 22, 2012

Note: These notes become official when approved at a subsequent meeting.

 

The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Fire Commissioners was called to order at 1300hours by Fire Commissioner Mycock, Fire Commissioner Field and Fire Commissioner Nailor

Recording– Barbara Trainor- Tessier, Jayne Pierce typing

Fire Commissioners Comments:

  •  Fire Commissioner Nailor made a motion to accept January 31, 2012 Fire Commissioner monthly meeting minutes, seconded by Fire Commissioner Field, motion passed unanimously
  •  Fire Commissioner Nailor made a motion to accept March 17, 2011 Fire Commissioners monthly meeting minutes, seconded by FC Field, motion passed unanimously

Public Comments:

  •  Concerned with Freedom Hall being a large building, are we going to get a sound system to help facilitate the meetings
  •  Concerns with staff sub-committee’s focus on full time firefighters not call firefighters for possible answers for a hiring process.
  •  SAFE grant will also work for the call department as well as the full time department.
  •  Two year process in the past for hiring of new career personnel and statistics Fire Commissioner Mycock has not heard any updates from the staffing sub-committee
  •  Concern about being short handed on not only fire incidents as well as ambulance incidents
  •  Expensive to add additional personnel to the budget
  •  A major portion of our work is in Emergency medical incidents
  •  Fire Commissioner Mycock expresses there appreciation to all the comments that have been made

 

Fire Chief’s Report:

  •  Monthly Activity Sheets:
    • o January 2012 – 28 Ambulance Calls, 21 Fire Calls
    • o February 2012- 35 Ambulance Calls, 16 Fire Calls
  •  Comstar Report
    • o January 2012- Beginning Balance $47,8875.45, Ending Balance $47,936.49
    • o February 2012- Beginning Balance $47,936.49, Ending Balance $36,947.54

Old Business:

  •  Budget:
    • o January 2012- Salary is at 53 % spent, Operational is at 58 % spent
    • o February 2012- Salary is at 59 % spent, Operational is at 60% spent

Staffing Sub-Committee:

  • o The staffing sub-committee gave the Fire Chief the task to prepare a staffing report to the Fire Commissioners showing statistics and budget and need to hire more firefighters, it was noted that we are behind on time to get this project completed on schedule.  The Fire Chief states that we are behind the times on amount of personnel we have staffing our District, we need to move in a safer manner on how many respond to our incidents.
  • o Fire Commissioner Mycock scheduled the staffing report to be completed by the April 20, 2012.
  • o April 17, 2012 – The Board of Fire Commissioners will be presenting the FY 2013 budget to the District.
  • o Fire Commissioner Nailor stating that it may not be possible for all of the questions to be answered or may not be important to answer all questions on a line to line basis
  • o Fire Commissioner Mycock asking the board to review the appropriation line item of union negotiation money of $25,000.00 to go back to the district. This money may not be needed, although it might be used for the insurance negotiations.
  • o Fire Commissioner Mycock asking the Fire Chief to look into dispatch from the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Department and bring back to the board with a dollar amount
  • o Fire Commissioner Mycock asking about other line items to bring forward to the front is the Administrative Assistant position that has changed throughout the years since it was created. First started out as a secretary’s position than to an Administrative Assistants, it has become an expensive position and asking if this is a position that is needed, now with the new changes that have been made to the department are there other ways to accomplish the same tasks. Taxes have increased in the last few years; we have to look at the job description, qualifications of the position.  Guidelines and duties, a lot of changes since the position has started, software changes, duties are changing and feel we have been not doing our job with keeping up with the position.
  • o FY 2013 Budget will be submitted to the District website

 

New Business:

 

  • o Truck committee needs to start scheduling meetings to discuss the capital expenditure of replacement of our aging engine 265.  This engine is scheduled to be replaced FY 2015

 

 

 

 

 

Respectfully Submitted:

Board of Fire Commissioners