Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout[02] Minutes ST. JOSEPH Fire Board Agenda Item 2 FIRE DEPT. MEETING DATE: May 12, 2010 AGENDA ITEM: Minutes — February 10, 2010 BACKGROUND INFORMATION: BUDGET /FISCAL IMPACT: ATTACHMENTS: February 10, 2010 Minutes REQUESTED ACTION: Accept the minutes of February 10, 2010. February 10, 2010 Page 1 of 3 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, February 10, 2010 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: Minutes: Loso made a motion to approve the minutes of November 4, 2009 as presented; seconded by Janssen and passed unanimously. Financial Report: Weyrens presented the following 3 Quarter Fire Fund Financial Summary: Revenues $ $ 257,795.23 Expenditures ($ 189,657.39) Fund Balance $ $ 558,886.59 Loso made a motion to approve the 3 Quarter Financial Report as presented; seconded by Salk 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 assistant County Engineer has indicated that Stearns County has issued the PO for the work to be completed. • Taufen reported that he provided each firefighter that does not have the Class B w /tanker endorsement license the test booklet and informed them that they have until January 1, 2011 to provide a copy of the required license. As of this date 15 firefighters do not have the Class B w /tanker endorsement license. Taufen also informed the firefighters that their membership in the department may be in jeopardy if they do not meet the requirement by the deadline. • The Fire Department received $ 3,200 from a Minnesota Training Grant. The funds will be used to provide Emergency Vehicle Defensive Driving training and will be scheduled for April. Salk made a motion to accept the $ 3,300 in grant funding from the Minnesota Training Grant program and utilize such funding for Defensive Driving Training. The motion was seconded by Janssen and passed unanimously. MN State Fire Convention: Taufen requested authorization to expend funds for two firefighters to attend the State Fire Convention in Grand Rapids. The convention is scheduled for June 10 —12. Historically the Fire Board has authorized the attendance of two firefighters and the Fire Relief has also funded the attendance of two members. Loso made a motion to authorize the expenditure of funds for two firefighters to attend the MN State Fire Convention. The motion was seconded by Salk and passed unanimously. Arson Training: Taufen reported that in the past two years the department has paid for two to three members to attend the Chapter IAAI Arson Training in St. Cloud. The cost of the class is $ 225.00 per member with 10 training hours equating to $ 240.00. The total training cost is estimated at $ 465.00 per member. While the training is informative, Taufen questioned if the Fire Board want to continue to incur the cost. Arson determinations are no completed on the local level; rather they are completed through the State Fire Marshall's Office. Board Members stated their support for continuing education, however, in tough budget times optional fire training is not a priority. Therefore, Loso made a motion to deny the training request for 2010; seconded by Janssen and passed unanimously. February 10, 2010 Page 2 of 3 DNR Grant: Taufen reported that the MN DNR is seeking grant proposals for fire equipment. In reviewing the current needs, Taufen requested authorization to submit a grant application to replace the two backpack blowers. The blowers are approximately seven years old and the cost of replacement is approximately $ 450.00. Fire Board Members discussed the current Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and future purchases and replacements and questioned if the grant would be better be served by a larger expenditure. Taufen stated the next equipment replacement is the 6 wheel. This equipment serves as a tanker for areas that are not accessible by fire truck. The replacement cost is approximately $ 12,000. Salk made a motion authorizing the Fire Chief to submit a grant proposal to the MN DNR for the replacement of the 6th wheeler with an estimated replacement cost of $ 12,000.00. The motion was seconded by Loso and passed unanimously. Basic Life Support Guidelines: Taufen stated that while meeting with the Fire Department medical advisor Dr. Mark Halstrom and First Responder Trainer Harold Risk, it was suggested that the Fire Department establish Basic Life Support Guidelines (BLSG). The guidelines are operating procedures for responding to rescue calls. Once the guidelines are completed, each firefighter will receive a copy of the same. Holiday Decorations: Taufen stated that he has been approached by some members of the department to whether or not the City is in a position to hang the holiday lights. For over 20 years the Fire Department has been handing the holiday lights. The Fire Department started handing the lights as the Maintenance Staff only had three employees and all the employees were on the Fire Department. With busy schedules it is becoming more difficult to arrange the needed volunteers and equipment. In 2010, the maintenance staff unplugged all the lights and left them for the Fire Department to take down. Fire Members questioned why the Maintenance Staff did not just take the lights down as it would not have required much additional time. Taufen will discuss scheduling with the Public Works Director to see if scheduling will allow the maintenance staff to take over this task. Membership: As reported at a previous meeting, has been operating with 29 members instead of 30 as it is not effective to train one member. Taufen stated that he has just received a letter of resignation from Brent Terwey who will be resigning immediately as he is joining the air force and a notice from Darrel Pfannenstein who will be retiring at the end of 2010. In addition, the Department will have one member on medical leave for approximately six months. Taufen stated that in the past the Fire Board has authorized the acceptance of applications and establishment of an eligibility list. This process has worked well and establishing an eligibility list reduces the hiring costs as the applications that meet criteria are rated. The Fire Board supported the establishment of an eligibility list and Salk made a motion to authorize the hiring process to fill the current open positions and establish an eligibility list for qualified candidates. The motion was seconded by Janssen. Safety Equipment: Taufen reported that after the recent accident in Clearwater where a firefighter was injured from oncoming traffic while responding to a fire call, the department has been discussing safety while responding. Currently the Fire Department uses the tanker truck as a buffer when responding to a call with traffic. As additional safety equipment the department is requesting authorization to install a lighted arrow on the back of the tanker truck so that oncoming traffic has advanced notice to slow down. The department looked on the adhesive chevrons that can be mounted on a vehicle, but in talking to an installer the chevrons will not last as they will peel and come off. The department then looked at a lighted arrow that would be affixed to the truck. The estimated cost of the arrow and installation is $ 1,000. Loso made a motion to approve the expenditure to purchase and install a lighted arrow on the tanker for safety with an estimated cost of $ 1,000. The motion was seconded by Janssen and passed unanimously. February 10, 2010 Page 3 of 3 Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 7:15 PM. Judy Weyrens Administrator