August 11, 2016 Minutes

Fire District Commissioner Meeting

Jim called the meeting to order at 8 pm. Mike Miller was absent. The opening prayer was offered by Roy Kennedy. Chief Bryan Grover and Asst. Chief Carl Anderson along with BC’s Jim Kelley, Blaine Ker, Roy Kennedy, and Mitch Bingham. Melanie Sullivan was present as secretary. There were several patrons present. See patron sign in sheet.

Agenda Approval: Dallin moved to accept the agenda as presented. Roger seconded. The vote was unanimous by Roger, Dallin, Jim, and Gordon.

Minutes: The commissioners read the minutes previous to the meeting. Roger moved to accept the minutes. Dallin seconded. Voting was unanimous by Roger, Dallin, Jim, and Gordon.

Budget Review: Melanie reported that we are within budget. The money came in from the counties this past month to finish out the rest of the fiscal year.

Approval of Expenditures: Jim approved the expenditures. Jim moved to accept the expenditures for payment. Dallin seconded. The vote by Roger, Dallin, Jim, and Gordon was unanimous.

Patron Input: A patron asked if the budget is available to review. Jim said it is on the website.

Jason Averill said that Idaho Falls ambulance has beat our QRU’s on scene 4 times. He worries CFD’s response is not fast enough or is not getting the dispatch calls. Another patron said that there are new dispatchers who didn’t know that Ririe QRU even existed and wasn’t routing calls to CFD. Dispatch has been informed of Ririe QRU so the situation should be getting better. Roger suggested that he and Jason visit dispatch. Roger will set up the visit to dispatch. He invited Blaine to accompany them.

OLD BUSINESS:

1. Station 1 extrication equipment: Bryan said no order as of yet. They were comparing spreading force and cost. They were looking at 24s but found out they needed 30s. The 30 inch is less money but has less extending power. The 24 inch has an adjustable tip to allow it the same extension range. They expect to stay within the budgeted amount.
2. Status of Ririe Generator: Carl tried to get building permit from city of Ririe. Mayor was hesitant to sign it until Carl explained to him that the generator would be at least 14 feet from the property line. It’s been sign and delivered. The bid went to Nelson Electric.
3. Fit test machine: Bryan still is looking into it. He asked Madison if they wanted to go in on it but they did not. Not having one is slowing down putting new personnel to work. $9032 for the fit tester. Renting it out to other entities is an option to help pay for the annual calibration. The motion of purchasing a fit test was tabled previously. Carl called EITC. It does not have a fit test machine. Dallin asked why no one has one. It has been a requirement but not implemented in the area. New standards are making it necessary. Not having personnel fit tested is a huge safety issue. Jim says they are getting close to end of budget year and ask if there is sufficient money left over to get the FIT test machine. Jim reviewed the budget with Melanie and determined that there is enough money to get the fit test. Carl asked Ammon what they do for fit testing. Ammon spends $1000/year to rent a fit test out of Salt Lake, but Ammon only hires twice a year. Commissioners determined that there is a liability of not having one. Dallin moved that we get the fit test machine (liability and no access to equipment anyplace else for the safety of the firemen). Gordon seconded. The voting was unanimous by Jim, Gordon, Dallin, Roger.

NEW BUSINESS:

1. Discussion of assignment of a commissioner as treasurer: At the commissioner training, they learned that one of the commissioners could be assigned as treasurer. Jim looked it up in the Idaho Statute. The discussion is if the statute says a commissioner should be assigned as secretary/treasurer or is it up to the discretion of the Board. Jim is already assigned over the budget. The decision by discussion of the group is that leaving things as they are fulfills the statute.
2. Discussion of progress on property transfer from Menan CO-OP to CFD: Mike talked to Menan Coop. It will happen but not immediately until they move all of the stuff out of it. Within 60 days they will know when they can turn the property over. The building will be used for training before it is torn down.
3. Discussion of donation from Challenger Pallet: Donation was $10,000 as an indication of appreciation. Jim sent a letter thanking them for the donation. Carl suggested that the donation be used to buy wild land boots (personal protective equipment) for fire personnel.
4. Replacement of Tender 182: Bryan proposed that it be purchased before starting Menan project. It is in the equipment replacement schedule for the year that starts Oct 1, 2016. Roger moved that they can go ahead and start writing specs for it. Dallin seconded. The voting was unanimous by Roger, Jim, Gordon, and Dallin.

FIRE CHIEF REPORT: After advertising the opening, the position of Battalion Chief station 1 was offered to Jim Kelly and he accepted. The captains position is open for station 1. Kathy Anderson is retiring, leaving the position of Lieutenant open. The position was advertised and Whit Albertson accepted the position of Lieutenant. Paul Bradly retired (previous tech rescue leader). After advertising for the position of Tech Rescue Leader it was offered to and accepted by Matt Call. This has been a busy month. The goal is to have the SCBAs in by the end of the month.

ASST. CHIEF REPORT: We are busy. We had good teamwork on the fires where more than one station was present.

B.C. REPORTS:

Station 1:
Jim Kelly: 46 EMS called. 15 fire calls (ten more than last month). Major fire every week it seems. Crew did a great job on them. Motorcycle accident on highway 20. Nurse on scene that helped out. They had a trailer house fire. They were short handed that day with four guys on scene at first until they were assisted by Lewisville and Menan. Fire was contained to the kitchen. Fantastic job working with Menan and Lewisville. Morale is good. Training is happening.

Station 2:
17 EMS and 5 fire calls. Brian Felt left but they gained Nic Terry and Brandon Blackman.

Station 3:
Roy reported that Lewisville EMS calls were down but they were up on fire calls. Whit is an asset to the station. They backed up Rigby on trailer house fire but were slowed down by the street signs changing from the county numbers to the city numbering system. 3900 street sign does not exist on 300 N. This delayed them by about a minute. Tal Holenbeck is on long term leave through December and back through June. Things are going well. Mitch is getting them ready for SCBAs

Station 4:
16 EMS. 3 fire calls They have been busy. 4th of July fire call from fireworks on the Annis butte. Everyone worked together well and got the fire contained before it got out of hand. Morale is good. They are backing up other stations in the fire season.

COMMISSIONER REPORT:

Jim said CFD has a good reputation for a volunteer fire district.

Dallin moved to close the meeting. Gordon seconded. The voting was unanimous by Roger, Jim, Gordon, and Dallin.