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HomeMy WebLinkAbout[02] MinutesST. JOSEPH FIRE DEPT. MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM: BACKGROUND INFORMATION: BUDGET /FISCAL IMPACT: ATTACHMENTS: Fire Board Agenda Item 2 February 10, 2010 Minutes — November 4, 2009 Draft Minutes REQUESTED ACTION: Approve the minutes for the November 4, 2009 Fire Board Meeting. November 4, 2009 Page 1 of 2 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the Fire Board for the City of St. Joseph and Townships of St. Joseph and St. Wendel met in regular session on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 6:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall. Members Present: Fire Chief Jeff Taufen, City of St. Joseph Representative Bob Loso, St. Joseph Township Representative Jeff Janssen, St. Wendel Township Representative Greg Salk. City Administrator Judy Weyrens. Others Present: Assistant Fire Chief Justin Honer. Minutes: Loso made a motion to approve the minutes of August 5, 2009 as presented; seconded by Salk and passed unanimously. Financial Report: Weyrens presented the following 3nd Quarter Fire Fund Financial Summary: Revenues $ $ 191,923.15 Expenditures ($ 114,287.40) Fund Balance $ 568,384.50 Loso made a motion to approve the 2nd Quarter Financial Report as presented; seconded by Janssen and passed unanimously. Fire Chief Reports: Taufen reported on the following: • The Fire Department is still waiting to hear from Stearns County on the installation of the Opticom equipment. Taufen expressed frustration with the lack of information from the County. The Fire Department has secured funding from the Jaycees and they would like to make the contribution before December 31, 2010. The Fire Board suggested that if the City does not receive resolution, a letter should be forwarded to the County Attorney. • Taufen reported that he is still struggling with Firefighters to secure Class B Licenses. The Assistant Fire Chief will provide the firefighters with the instruction booklet for obtaining a Class B license and remind them of the two year deadline. DNR Burning Permits: Taufen reported that effective October 1, 2009 the DNR will be issuing all burning permits. Residents of the Township can secure burning permits by applying online and they will be effective for one year. Once issued, the permit can be activated during the license through an online process. If there are burning restrictions, the permit will not be able to be activated. The permit fee for 2010 is $ 5.00. Taufen stated that the City prohibits open burning; therefore City residents would not be eligible for burning permits. The Board discussed the need to be consistent and provide some businesses with the opportunity to burn within the City. Fire Hall Generator: Taufen reported that at the last meeting the Fire Board authorized the execution of a Maintenance Agreement with Cummins NPower to service the generator at the Fire Facility. Since that time they have serviced the generated and noted that the coolant system should be replaced with new hoses, belts, caps, thermostat and gaskets and the batteries should be replaced. Since this is an important piece of equipment for the Department. Taufen stated the maintenance performed is the first maintenance in 10 years. Salk made a motion to authorize the needed maintenance on the Generator at a cost of $1,395.07; seconded by Janssen and passed unanimously. Fire Chief Conference: Taufen reported that one of the members of the Fire Department is an EMT and in order to keep the status she needs to take a refresher course and she is requesting reimbursement from the Fire Board. Taufen stated the class registration fee is $ 295.00, Class Book is $ 45.00 and if the Board reimburses training time the expense would be $ 280.00 Taufen stated that there is an advantage to having a member of the Department certified as an EMT, however he questioned due to budget constraints if the Board would cover the total cost. November 4, 2009 Page 2 of 2 Board Members agreed with the benefit of an EMT and were receptive to reimbursing the cost for books and class registration fee. Since an EMT certificate is not required, the Board did not wish to set precedence in reimbursing training time as the employee should also participate in the cost as they are receiving a benefit. By reimbursing the registration fee and books, the City is paying for approximately one half of the cost. Therefore, Janssen made a motion to approve the expenditure paying the registration fee and book cost for the fire fighter attending EMT re- certification. The motion was seconded by Loso and passed unanimously. Retirement: Taufen reported that Tom Lowell has submitted his intent to resign from the Department after serving 32 years on the department. At this time Taufen is not requesting to recruit a new fire fighter as it is better to train two at a time. Election of Officers: Taufen reported that based on the City of St. Joseph Personnel Policy adopted by the City, all Officers must be approved by the City. The Fire Department posted the positions available and the investigating committee reviewed all applications and recommended the Fire Board accept the following recommendations: Assistant Fire Chief Justin Honer 2010-2012 (2 Year Term) Fire Captains Ken Jacobson 2010-2012 (2 Year Term) Mark Winter 2010-2012 (2 Year Term) Dave Salzer 2011-2011 (1 Year Term) Taufen stated that only one application was received for Assistant Fire Chief and six applications were received for captain. Janssen made a motion to recommend the City Council accept the officers as recommended by the Fire Department Investigating Committee. The motion was seconded by Salk and passed unanimously. New Member Training: Taufen expressed concern with new firefighter requesting advanced training before completing mandatory training. All members are required to complete and receive certificates for First Responder, Fire Fighter 1 and secure a Class B License with tanker endorsement within 2 years of appointment. The Fire Board spends approximately $ 5,000 per fire fighter to outfit them with the necessary equipment and training. Taufen stated that it does not make sense to invest more money into a firefighter until they have completed all the required training. This is a safe guard on the investment. The Board is supportive of training but concurred with Taufen. Salk made a motion to amend the Personnel Policy to requirement new firefighters to complete mandatory training before requesting advanced training. Advanced training will be at the discretion of the Fire Chief. The motion was seconded by Janssen and passed unanimously. Ad*iourn: The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 7:10 PM. Judy Weyrens Administrator