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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008 Board of Fire Commissioners Minutes -All ��E DRY Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chief LANSING FIRE BOARD 2008 REGULAR MEETINGS DATE TIDE LOCATION ADDRESS January 9,2008 6:00 P.M. Station 1 120 E.Shiawassee FFebbrruaar)2008 �ry,13�,20008 6:00 P.M. Station 2 2114 N.Grand River Ave. Marc�h..1 6:00 P.M. Station 4 1435 E.Miller Rd. 0 V CO3L D rU M April 9,2008 6:00 P.M. Station 5 1821 Todd Ave. May 14,2008 6:00 P.M. Station 6 5135 Pleasant Grove Rd June 11,2008 6:00 P.M. Station 7 629 N.Jenison July 9,2008 6:00 P.M. Station 8 815 Marshall St. August 13,2008 6:00 P.M. Station 9 520 Glendale St. September 10,2008 6:00 P.M. LFD Maintenance 3708 Pleasant Grove Rd. October 8,2008 6:00 P.M. LFD Training 3015 Alpha Access November 12,2008 6:00 P.M. EOC 815 Marshall St. December 10,2008 6:00 P.M. Station 1 120 E.Shiawassee Please contact Patti Starnes at 517-483-4564 for more information. 1 I � J-0 N S �d City of Lansing &NSX'V Board of Fire Commissioners 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 `lam j (517) 483-4200 C I-I I G Fax (517)483-4488 www.lansingfire.com Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING December 10tn, 2008 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on December 10th, 2008, at Lansing Fire Department Fire Station #41 Community Room located at 120 E. Shiawassee St. Commissioners Present Robert Brown Jr., Carlos Barajas, Alicia Perez-Banuet, Robert Hudson, Helen Keeney, Yvonne Young McConnell Commissioners Excused Frank Ferro Louis Vinson III Others Present Tom Cochran, Fire Chief � --' Tim James, Assistant Chief Jerry Ambrose, Executive Assistant to the Mayor r ry Patti Starnes, Secretary Additions to the Agenda Chairperson McConnell asked for additions to the agenda. No additions were noted. A motion was made by Robert Brown and supported by Robert Hudson to accept the agenda as written. Review/Approval of Minutes Chairperson McConnell asked the members to review the minutes from October 8tn 2008 and report any corrections. Chief Cochran noted that on page 3 at the top it talks about an award that was given out. The award was called the Mayors Hometown Hero Award. Page 3, the 5th paragraph should read that fire runs are up 4-6% since the beginning of the year and Arsons are up 50%. A motion was made by Carlos Barajas and supported by Robert Brown to approve the October minutes with the corrections. Motion passed with a unanimous vote. Fire Board Minutes of December I dh, 2008 page 1 of 5 Review of Communic: ns Thank you letter from Raymond and Donna Rokita thanking the department for the superb service they received. Thank you letter from Sue Dyer that was sent to all LFD personnel. Thank you email from Shawn Myers to LFD personnel regarding the John Dyer Memorial ride. o Helen Keeney suggested a cookbook as a fundraiser for the memorial fund. o Chairperson McConnell passed around a thank you card from Sue Dyer to the Fireboard for the peace lily they sent. Thank you from Robert Hudson regarding the care he received when he called on our services for a medic. Chief Cochran reported the all the letters he receives are sent to all LFD personnel via email. He has another thank you that did not make in the packet. One of the raffle prizes at the Fire Prevention Open House in October was a certificate for a ride to school by the Fire Chief. This past Monday Chief Cochran and BC Ness along with the crew from fire station #6 picked up Esteban Sink from Precious People preschool. The crew showed the fire truck to the students and Esteban and his father were able to ride home in the fire truck. The child was really excited along with his classmates. Chief Cochran read the thank you letter to the Board. Chief Cochran discussed the Old Newsboys event in which Lansing Fire and a lot of other organizations are involved in. Chief Cochran participated. Bob Brown was a past president of the organization and reported that it was started by Truant Officer Palmer 85 years ago who realized kids weren't going to school because they did not have shoes. They provide shoes to underprivileged kids in the area. LFD raised a little over $2000 for the organization. It is a great tradition for the Lansing Fire Dept. Chief Cochran reported that a lady approached him while he was selling the Old Newsboys at Frandor shopping center. She wanted to let him know what a great organization it was. She received shoes for her kids last year and will have too again this year. She was very grateful for the organization. Chief Cochran presented the Board with the 2nd edition of the LFD Newsletter. The Board was pleased with the newsletter. Chief Cochran thanked Patti Starnes and everyone involved for the newsletter. The next edition will be out in March of 2009. Presentations Chief Cochran presented the Board members with new badges, and LFD Coffee mugs as a token of LFD's appreciation to the Board. Chief Cochran thanked the Board for their time and support of the Lansing Fire Department and the Citizens of Lansing. Jerry Ambrose spoke on behalf of the Mayor who is still in Washington DC advocating for the GM and the State of Michigan. He really has done a great job advocating for Michigan. He thanked the Board for their service to the City of Lansing and the Fire Dept. We have an excellent fire department. We do have to be deliberate about the Fire Board Minutes of December l dh, 2008 page 2 of 5 money we spend, havir aid that, we do recognize the value )f a strong fire department. We are probably the best in the State of Michigan. The Mayor and Jerry monitor a lot of statistics and one stat they check monthly are response times. LFD continues to meet the expectations that we have. We are happy that we were recently able to hire 12 new firefighters. We can only push the overtime so far and people get tired and burned out. Yvonne commented that she appreciates being a part of the Fire Board. She has been on the board for several years and it is one of the most rewarding things that she does as a citizen of Lansing. Although she jokes with both Chief's a lot, she really cares a lot about them. They really keep the board well informed about everything going on in the department. The Board can always pick up the phone and talk to either of them. These were great selections for Chief and Assistant Chief. She was glad to be part of the selection process for Chief Cochran because she believes the Board did a great job. Chief Cochran also thanked Bob Brown for his involvement in the Firefighter Interviews as a panel member. The time he spent on the Interview panel was very helpful to the Department. Chief Cochran thanked the Mayor and Jerry Ambrose for their support of the Lansing Fire department. They have hired 30 people since he has been here. The Mayors commitment to public safety is certainly strong and he supports public safety along with the Police Dept. We are very appreciative of that. Chief Cochran has caught some of his interviews on FOX news and some of the others. He really pulled together the Mayors from the State of MI. Jerry Ambrose reported that 30 went to Washington including 24 Mayors from Michigan and other States who were very involved in the auto industry. Chief Cochran is very appreciative with the work he is doing. He has fought the fight well. Administrative Comments Department Update (Informational Bulletin 2008-15) was included in the packet. December 3Id Chief Cochran and AC James attended the West Michigan Fire Chiefs Association annual lunch in Portage, MI. Chief Cochran is pleased to announce that our own Assistant Chief Tim James was sworn in as a board member for the WMFC. He will do a great job with it and it is a very important position. Chief Cochran reported to the Ways and Means committee with our budget analyst Angie Bennett to discuss the shared piece of the grant. It was recommended to Council and passed on Monday by the Council. Jerry Ambrose reported that now we have money for all the turnout gear not just 1/3 of it. It also includes SCBA's (self contained breathing apparatus) and fitness equipment. Committee Reports Personnel — none Buildings and Equipment - none Finance — none Fire Board Minutes of December 10f'', 2008 page 3 of 5 Old Business none New Business 2009 meeting schedule Chief Cochran discussed the Leave of Absence request from Firefighter Justin Purvis. He has been with us for a few years. He is originally from Midland and has been offered a position at Midland Fire Dept. He has requested a short leave of absence while he makes the transition. Chief Cochran wanted to bring it to the Boards attention and take it into consideration. Chief Cochran reminded the Board of the Firefighter graduation on December 19th a 12:00 p.m. at the Training Tower. The Board is invited to attend. Strategic Planning meeting - Chief Cochran would like to set a meeting in January. Patti Starnes will work out the schedule. Discussion followed. Bob Brown asked if it included the full board? Chief Cochran reported that he would like to meet with everyone to discuss the past, present, and future plans. Bob Brown asked what the requested leave of absence involves. Chief Cochran reported that they are looking at the contract language. Chief Cochran gave some background on the request. He really hates to lose him because he is a good employee. The contract allows for a 3 month business leave of absence. This is leave without pay and he would not accrue seniority. Helen Keeney asked if it was a normal thing. Chief Cochran discussed some of the leaves of absence that are in the contract. Chief Cochran's concern is that he is a really good employee and if there was a possibility it wouldn't work out for him he would like to offer him the possibility to return. There would be a specific timeline, he would not be accruing seniority, and would be off the payroll. It would be difficult to fill one position in a 3 month timeline. Yvonne Young McConnell asked what his position is. Chief Cochran reported that he is a FF/Paramedic and works out of Station 6. General Order Chief Cochran thanked everyone for their service and wished them a joyous holiday and prosperous new year. Carlos Barajas asked about our GIS usage. He has done a little research on the net regarding GIS systems. Is that something that is a direction for Fire and Police? Chief Cochran reported that we have done some GIS mapping. We are working with Sam Quon from our IT dept. We would like to continue to move forward with GIS capabilities. Chief Cochran will discuss it further during the Strategic Planning meeting. Bob Brown asked about the repairs to the radio system. Chief Cochran reported that we were able to work through the equipment issues. We are working closely with 911 h on the Consolidation project. At the south end of the city we have seen a marked improvement. Chief Cochran reported that Jeff Kludy from the radio lab said that some Fire Board Minutes of December 10th, 2008 page 4 of 5 who were naysayer's a iow positive about the system. He ;.as had hardly any issues with it. There were some battery issues. It is more related to the chargers. AC James reported that it was user error. Chief Cochran will give the Board a demo of the radios. There is an inner-operability piece that we have never had before. Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell asked for it to be added to next months agenda. Adjournment Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell adjourned the meeting at 6:37 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by: Date: January 14th, 2009 Patti Starnes Approved: January 14th, 2009 Fire Board Minutes of December 10fh, 2008 page 5 of 5 ?�. S'U G City of Lansing Board of Fire Commissioners S� 120 E. Shiawassee Street �f Lansing MI 48933 lI �� (517)483-4200 C H I �' Fax(517)483-4488 www.lansin.qfire.com Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING October 8th, 2008 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on October 8th, 2008, at Lansing Fire Department Training Tower located at 3015 Alpha St. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Yvonne Young McConnell - Chair " = Helen Keeney—Vice Chair �- Carlos Barajas r Robert Brown Jr. Frank Ferro Robert Hudson S Louis Vinson III COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED Alicia Perez-Banuet OTHERS PRESENT Chief Cochran Phil Sabon John Stafford Patti Starnes ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA Chairperson Yvonne Young-McConnell asked for additions or correction to the agenda and none were noted. A Motion was made by Bob Brown and supported by Helen Keeney to accept the October agenda as written. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Bob Brown and supported by Helen Keeney to accept the September minutes as submitted. COMMUNICATIONS John Dyer Memorial Poker Run flyer was distributed. Shawn Myers and Paul Smith from LFD are instrumental in making this happen. It is going to be a huge event. So far around 300 motorcycles are planning to participate. They will be having a police Fire Board Minutes of October 81h, 2008 page 1 of 5 escort. There is also a dinner after at fire station #44. Chief Cochran talked about the John P. Dyer memorial scholarship endowed scholarship fund for LCC students in his memory. The fund was set up by John's family, friends and colleagues. MSU athletics also donated 400 tickets for an MSU football game. The tickets were printed with "Lansing Firefighters" and were given to the department to disperse. John Dyers wife Sue works for the MSU Athletic department. Chief Cochran talked about a couple of phone calls he has received since the last meeting. One was from a gentleman. He and his wife are both visually impaired. They had accidentally left a towel near the stove and the house filled with smoke. They ended up calling 911. He reported that fire department was so kind to them and treated them like "people" and they were so impressed by the way they were treated by the Lansing Fire Department. PRESENTATIONS Fire Marshal, Phil Sabon gave the board a presentation on Fire Safety week. This week the Fire Prevention division has been working extensively building up to this point promoting the fire prevention model this year "Preventing Home Fires". The Fire Marshal division spent the day yesterday at City Hall talking with many people at their display. Today they were at Sparrow Hospital. They were exposed to 700 people and 70 people stopped to talk. Tomorrow they will be at Ingham Regional Medical Center. This year they looking specifically at fires started near the stove and are promoting safe cooking. Phil passed out brochures to the Board and asked them to look for concerns in their own home. The majority of fires are in homes and the number 1 cause is the stove. Phil encouraged the Board to think about their cooking practices. He also gave them a homework assignment to create a family escape plan to have 2 ways out and have a meeting place outside the home. He gave them a paper grid to create a plan with their family and show it to Phil at the open house. The Board is invited to participate at the LFD open house on Saturday, October 11tn, 2008 from 10 am — 2 pm. Chief Cochran also asked about having a meeting spot outside for the family. It works well when the crews arrive to give information. Phil also talked about the school programs. —The crews visit the school and present a fire safety program to the students. Phil's goal is not to just to visit the schools in October but to introduce other programs in the schools throughout the year. Chief Cochran commended Phil and his division. They used to have a division of 7 people three years ago, but now they are down to 3 people. He has done a great job working through the stress of low staffing. He has been tasked to continue to provide the service with less than half of the people. He has been doing a tremendous job keeping up with the demands. This year the crews have helped out a lot with the school programs. Chief Cochran talked about the importance of the school programs and gave the example of the young boy who notified the neighbor that his little brother was trapped in his bedroom and the house was on fire. He was given aR award at Goti Fire Board Minutes of October eh, 2008 page 2 of 5 SeunGil. Correction: He was given the Mayors Hometown Hero Award at a City Council meeting. When he was asked how he knew what to do he replied the he learned from the Firefighters who visited his school. You can't put a price on that. The education piece of the Fire Marshal division is a huge priority for Phil and he knows Phil will do a great job. Chief Cochran thanked Phil for his hard work with little resources. Discussion followed. Robert Hudson asked for the statistics on child fire starters. Phil reported that about 30% of fires are arson fires intentionally set with an incinerating device, and of those about 9% are set by juveniles. Discussion followed regarding the use of space heaters and electric blankets. Chief Cochran said that a fire safety piece will be released to the media soon. Yvonne Young- McConnell suggested a fire safety piece in the newsletter. Helen Keeney asked about fire safety information on the website. Phil reported that it is not on the LFD website yet. However, the open house is listed on the City web page. Chief GGGhFaR ronnrted that arsons aFe up f em no% to 6 . Correction: Chief Cochran reported that fire runs are up from 4% to 6% since the 1st of the year. Phil reported for the time period of September 20th, 2007 and September 20th, 2008 arsons were up 50%. Discussion followed. Carlos Barajas asked about having a video on the LFD web site that shows residents how to extinguish a fire with a fire extinguisher. Chief Cochran appreciated the suggestion. Discussion followed regarding safety issues of putting out your own fire. In Fire Marshal Phil Sabon's opinion he would prefer that residents get out of the house because fires grow so fast. Chief Cochran agreed that the bottom line is that we want people to get out the house in the event of a fire rather that trying to extinguish it themselves. Louis Vinson III asked if we did anything on public television regarding fire safety. Chief Cochran reported that we have done some things but we would certainly like to do more. Chief Cochran is working on it. Training Chief John Stafford reported that there are various videos available to put on the website. Phil Sabon reported that there have been news blasts on various radio stations promoting the Saturday open house. News 10 on Friday at 6 will have a live feed at Station 8 for the weather promoting the open house. Phil is trying to set up a live radio program at the event. It has not been confirmed yet. Various media outlets will also be at the event. Also, there may be some MSU athletes showing up at the open house. It is not confirmed yet but all the paperwork is in. Fire Board Minutes of October 8ffi, 2008 page 3 of 5 John Stafford , Chief of Training Chief Stafford welcomed the Board to the Training facility. If you have any questions let him know. Two inspectors are attending a conference in Traverse City this week. Next weekend the EMS instructor coordinator conference will be going on at the Radisson in Lansing. It is a 3 day conference. The instructor/coordinators will receive continuing education credits. They are expecting about 150 people. Other than that they are continuing with their training schedule. Chief commented that 5 are attending the conference in Traverse City. Chief James is one of them and several will be attending the EMS Con/Ed. ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTS Career Day last Saturday — It was hosted by the City of Lansing Human Resources department. They had a lower turn out than last year. He had good contact with a couple prospective people. The City of Lansing has opened up the application process and is taking Firefighter applications at this time. Hiring - Chief Cochran still has not received approval to hire fire fighters and he is still trying to fill the vacant positions in Training and Fire Prevention. Chief Stafford and his personnel have done a great job keeping up with needs of the department with such a small staff. One of the things Training Chief Stafford is working on is meeting with each person in the department to discuss their individual education plans. Department of Homeland Security FEMA grant for pre-disaster mitigation - The City of Lansing was awarded the DHS FEMA Grant for pre-disaster mitigation funds in the amount of$1,363,848. The funds will be used for the acquisition and demolition of 29 homes in the flood plain of the Grand and Red Cedar rivers. Ronda Oberlin, Emergency Management Specialist worked really hard on the grant. FEMA pays 75% and City of Lansing and Ingham County Land Bank will pay the 25%. The grant is to offer to purchase homes at fair market value and turn the lots into a green area. They will not force anyone to leave their homes. It is strictly voluntary. New Fire Truck Greg Klco — Fleet Manager for the City of Lansing has been working really hard on purchasing a new pumper. The specs are done. The price will be $350,000-$375,000. It is important to have it done by the end of the year or the price will increase around $20,000. The specifications have been worked on by the Greg KLCO, Assistant Chief James and the Apparatus committee. Chief Cochran discussed the apparatus replacement schedule. Firefighter Assistance grant - Bill Oberst and Deb Pacheco are working on getting all the figures together to make the purchases. Robert Brown Jr. asked about the Regent Hotel training. Chief Stafford reported that the training was cancelled because the property use agreement was not returned to us Fire Board Minutes of October Soh, 2008 page 4 of 5 in a timely manner and there were no funds available to proceed with the training. As of now the contractor has already began demolition of the building. COMMITTEE REPORTS None OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS None GENERAL ORDER Chief Cochran talked about the high demand to participate in public relations events. He judged the Miss Capital City Pageant last year. This year they requested the use of one of rigs as a prop for pictures. We also provided a ladder truck from the MSU homecoming parade in which we transported the MSU men's basketball team. Chief Cochran also attended the Box 23 dinner last night. Duane Vernon spoke about the upcoming City of Lansing Sesquicentennial events. He as requested the participation from our department. Steve Babcock from LFD is also working on the event. Fire Marshal Phil Sabon reported that they will be using wristbands this year for the raffle at the open house. Two of the prizes are: a ride to school by Chief Cochran and a Lugnuts VIP package which includes throwing out the 1st pitch at a Lugnuts game and sitting in the Lugnuts suite. Several other businesses have donated to the event: Quality Dairy, Krispy Kreme, Dearborn Sausage Co., Target, Box 23, DeLau Fire. Training Chief John Stafford spoke about the Michigan High School Initiative with LCC and MSU. Today he spoke with Patengill Middle School and worked with students who did not have a high school diploma. That is part of LFD's outreach to the community. Chief Cochran attended the IFTAR dinner (The act of breaking fast after Ramadan). He and his wife attended the mayors Ramadan dinner as well. It was a good turnout. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Robert Brown Jr. and supported by Louis Vinson III to adjourn the meeting at 6:50 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by: Date: December 10th, 2008 Patti Starnes Approved: December 10", 2008 Fire Board Minutes of October 8th, 2008 page 5 of 5 NNSgh' City of Lansing � t►' Board of Fire Commissioners 120 E. Shiawassee Street l Lansing MI 48933 (517) 483-4200 Fax(517) 483-4488 E DOt' �-- www.lansingfire.com Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran, Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE-LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING Fire Station #41, 120 E. Shiawassee St., Lansing MI 48933 August 13th, 2008 Call To Order: - - c" The meeting was called to order at 5:15 pm - Commissioners Present Alicia Perez-Banuet ram, Robert Hudson Robert Brown Jr. Helen Keeney — Vice-Chair Carlos Barajas Louis Vinson III Frank Ferro Yvonne Young McConnell - Chair Commissioners Excused none Approval of Agenda A motion was made by Robert Brown Jr. and supported by Robert Hudson to accept the August Agenda as written. Review/Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Robert Brown Jr. and supported by Helen Keeney to accept the July minutes with corrections noted on page 4 New Business — Committee Assignments last two sentences shall read: His request was approved by chair Yvonne Young McConnell. Robert Hudson will now serve on both committees, Personnel and Buildings & Equipment Committee. Patti Starnes will also make the change on the committees list. Review of Communications Administrative Procedures — Chief Cochran asked everyone to review the document for changes or additions and report back. Yvonne Young McConnell commented on Fire Commissioners expired term renewals. According to Randy Hannan in the Mayors office the paperwork to renew the expired Fire Board Minutes of August 13,2008 Page 1 of 3 is a large class that will be eligible to retire. Chief Cochran and AC James prefer to hire early and have the firefighters trained prior to the retirements in order to cut down on overtime costs, etc. Retirements Chief Cochran announced the following retirements: Battalion Chief Wendell Trowbridge, Fire Marshal Brian Gaukel and Captain John McKinley. Chief.Cochran thanked them for their years of service to the Lansing Fire Department and the citizens of Lansing. Chief Cochran reported that a couple more employees will be retiring by the end of the year. 9/11 Memorial Service 911 Memorial Service— will be held on Thursday September 11 t". The Board will be notified of the time details. New Server Our new server is up and running. Chuck Fulger has been involved with it. It should offer upgrades, be more efficient and give us more ability to pull information from it. Committee Reports: none Old Business: none New Business: none General Order: Helen Keeney asked to be excused for the October meeting. Robert Brown Jr. asked to be excused for the November meeting. Adiournment: A motion was made by Robert Brown Jr. and supported Alicia Perez-Banuet to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 5.40 p.m. Respec ully Submitted by: Date: i August 13t", 2008 Patti Starnes l (� Fire Board Minutes of August 13,2008 Page 3 of 3 � 1v ,W.P�� ,_(`\ CITY OF LANSING y � BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS t Meeting Agenda Wednesday August 13th 2008 at 6:00 pm p Fire Station#41 120 E.Shiawassee St.,Lansing MI 48933 rx�DE4 Mayor Virg Bernero Fire Chief Tom Cochran Chairperson, Call to Ordr '' Call Third Ward -7 Yvonne Young McConnell Request f /�7Wv excused: Vice-Chairperson, Second Ward Helen Keeney Additio First Ward Revile Robert Hudson July Fourth Ward Robert Brown Jr. Re, 1 • At-Large Carlos Barajas At-Large Frank Ferro Presentatio.., At-Lar e Alicia Perez-Banuet Administrative Comment, 1. Fire Commissioner Terms At-Lange 2. Budget Louis Vinson III 3. Hiring Secretary 4. 9/11 Memorial Service Patti Starnes Committee Reports: Fire Chief Old Business: Tom Cochran New Business: Assistant Fire Chief Tim James General Order: Adjournment: Please contact Patti Starnes at 483-4564 if you need special accommodations, or you can not attend the meeting. LANSING FIRE DEPARTMENT, 120 E. SHIAWASSEE ST., LANSING MI 48933 VN NC, 1 City of Lansing NAY Board of Fire Commissioners i 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 \r tiI i (517)483-4200 f�i ,1 Cam; Fax(517) 483-4488 C' FIRE nEg� ---' www.lansingfire.com Virg Bernero, Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING July 9th, 2008 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on JUly 91h, 2008, at Fire Station #48 located at 815 Marshall, Lansing, MI. Fire Commissioner Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. 6-� COMMISSIONERS PRESENT �v Robert Brown Jr. r`3 Alicia Perez-Banuet Helen Keeney Robert Hudson Yvonne Young-McConnell COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED Carlos Barajas Frank Ferro Louis Vinson III OTHERS PRESENT Chief Cochran A/C James Station 8 Crew EMD Chief Trent Atkins Denise Acker ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell asked for additions to the Agenda. No additions were noted. A Motion was made by Robert Brown Jr. and second by Robert Hudson to accept the Agenda as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Robert Brown Jr. and second by Helen Keeney to approve the June minutes as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. COMMUNICATIONS None Fire Board Minutes of July 9,2008 Page 1 of 4 2. Events: - Chief states we are busier than we have ever been with neighborhood picnics, block parties, and the recent "Homeless Connect" event, where he ended up drafted as a sign-in greeter. We have worked the food banks. We also have a number of events coming up this summer that we will be participating in such as the West Side Association picnic at station #47, and recently at the "Older Michiganian Day" at the Capitol. Robert Brown Jr. brought up that in the "Strategic Plan" it was stated we needed to get out into the public more and we are now seeing this happen more and more as time goes by. "Battle for Blood" was said to be a tie between Fire and Police. Within the last 8 years we have won 6 of them. We met the Red Cross' expectations this year— 479 units. We were 94% on platelets, and exceeded the goal with whole blood. Trent Atkins, Chief of Emergency Management Division (EMD) — Aftermath of Storm Disaster and Common Ground: Storm Disaster— State of Michigan has requested a Presidential Declaration for both Small Business Administration (SBA) loans and Public Assistance. The request went to the FEMA office last week but there is not a current time frame due to everything else that is occurring across the country. An SBA loan is usually 2% to 4% roughly for the business owner, or agricultural. Once in awhile they will give to residents but not very often. If we get a Public Assistance loan it will pay for our response to the disaster. Our cost roughly estimated at $750,000. This week alone we have 7 days of Common Ground, 6 nights of baseball, 2 nights of fire works, and 4 days of a very large convention at the Lansing Center. The 4th of July was huge with over 15,000 people and the EMD has been asked to look at this event and possible be involved with next year's event. Our biggest event is Silver Bells. Common Ground — Monday we had about 7,000 people, Tuesday was 9,000, and tonight (Wednesday) the expectation is 13,000 to 15,000 for attendance. Friday night is also expected to have a large attendance. We have our communication center located in the classroom at station #41. We have cameras set up all over and we are hooked into LCC's cameras. We can see everything that is happening at Common Ground. When we get a report of an event taking place we can put a camera on it and direct officers, firefighters or volunteers into those areas and make assistance with whatever they need to do. Regarding lost children at Common Ground, Chief Atkins stated that the most time it has taken to find a lost child has been 6 minutes. We have a good plan in place regarding lost children, we shut down the gates and no child goes out with out credentialing the parent. When we find a child with a parent that has not been identified as being found, the parent has to go with the child to LPD's Command Center to be credentialed to make sure the child does not go out with someone they are not supposed to. Fire Board Minutes of July 9,2008 Page 3 of 4 /y ~ lop CITY OF LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS Meeting Agenda Wednesday,July 9th 2008 at 6:00 Pm Station#48-815 Marshal St. tiiG; Mayor Virg Bernero Fire Chief Tom Cochran Chairperson, Third Ward Call to Order - Roll Call Yvonne Young McConnell Request for Commissioners to be excused: Vice-Chairperson, At-Large LOUTS Vinson III Carlos Barajas Fourth Ward Additions to tr Robert Brown Jr. Review/Appro) e Frank ) Frank Ferro June First Ward Review Of Corr Robert Hudson Second Ward Presentations: Helen Keeney Administrative Comments: At-Large 1. Budget Alicia Perez-Banuet 2. Public Events At-Large 3. Louis Vinson III Committee Reports: Secretary Patti Starnes Old Business: New Business: Fire Chief Vote on Chair and Vice Chair Tom Cochran Committee Assignments Assistant Fire Chief Tim James General Order: Adjournment: Please contact Patti Starnes at 483-4S64 if you need special accommodations, or you can not attend the meeting. LANSING FIRE DEPARTMENT, 120 E. SHIAWASSEE ST., LANSING M1 48933 PHONE 517-483-4200 S .T <1J prtsN Lansing Fire Department ti 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 (517)483-4200 Fax(517)483-4488 www.lansingfire.com Fl�E nEc^c CHIC, Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING January 9th, 2008 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on January 9th, 2008, at Fire Station #1 located at 120 E. Shiawassee, Lansing, MI. Fire Commissioner Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Yvonne Young McConnell - Chairperson Carlos Barajas, Vice Chairperson Louis Vinson III Helen Keeney , -> c:a COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED Robert Hudson Frank Ferro Robert Brown Jr. c.- o r--- .. OTHERS PRESENT r Tom Cochran, Fire Chief Tim James, Assistant Fire Chief Brian Gaukel, Fire Marshal Mike Lewis, Department Financial Officer Trent Atkins, Emergency Management Chief Patti Starnes, Administrative Secretary ADDITIONS TO THEAGENDA Yvonne Young McConnell asked for additions to the agenda. No additions were noted. Agenda was accepted as written. Fire Board Minutes of January 9th, 2008 Page 1 of 4 APPROVAL OF MINUTES Yvonne Young McConnell asked the Board to review the minutes and note any corrections or changes. Carlos Barajas moved to approve the minutes as written. Helen Keeney supported the motion. Motion passed to approve the December minutes as written with a unanimous vote. COMMUNICATIONS None PRESENTATIONS Brian Gaukel, Fire Marshal - Fire Marshal Gaukel reported that 2 members of the Fire Department received their Executive Fire Officer Certificate from the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD. It is a federally funded course. Phil Sabon and Trent Atkins completed the 4 year program. Fire Marshal Gaukel reported that the program is requires a huge commitment from the Officer and his/her family. It is an honor to LFD and it's members. Update: There were 125 fires in 2007 including 2 fatalities. The fatalities occurred on Hosmer and Pheasant St. The restaurant Arson fire in the Frandor shopping center resulted in a conviction. The Lansing Fire Marshal division assisted Lansing Twp, FBI and ATF with the case. Louis Vinson asked for an update on the Kalamazoo St. fire. Fire Marshal Gaukel reported that the city is working towards having it demolished. The status of the fire is "undetermined" and "open". ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTS Chief Cochran Chief Cochran wished everyone a happy new year. Budget— Chief Cochran asked Mike Lewis, Department Financial Officer to give a quick recap of the budget committee meeting that took place at 5 pm, on January gtn 2008. Mike Lewis presented the Board with a budget summary. Last year's budget was 28 million dollars and this year's projected budget is $30,177,000. It has gone up due to fixed numbers in fringe benefits. As it stands we are over budget $810,000 dollars due to fixed numbers beyond our control. Chief Cochran touched on the retirement/hiring portion of the budget. We are anticipating 8 retirements and 8 new hires. This year the department has done a good job of keeping the overtime numbers down. Fire Board Minutes of January 9th, 2008 Page 2 of 4 Another Finance Committee meeting will take place after the numbers are more concrete. Helen Keeney asked about recruiting. Chief Cochran explained the hiring pool and the numbers of qualified people applying for positions. AC James noted that a lot of other states are doing recruitment in Michigan because they have positions available and are looking for qualified people to fill them. Louis Vinson asked about revenue being generated by the department. Mike Lewis reported that since we began charging for burn permits and increased our fees for plan review we have generated more revenue. Emergency Management Update - Chief Cochran asked Trent Atkins to give an update on the Emergency Management division. Chief Atkins reported that he had a briefing this afternoon with the Mayor and LPD regarding the flood situation in Lansing. The Red Cedar river is predicted to crest at 1 pm tomorrow at 7.5 feet. It may impact Pennsylvania Ave and Lyndbergh St. No homes are expected to be affected. The worst case scenario would be closing down Pennsylvania Ave. for 24-48 hours near Potter Park. The National Weather Service predicted that the weather pattern for the rest of the season is expected to bring warmer temps and a lot of precipitation. Chief Cochran thanked Trent Atkins and the EOC for implementing the Webinar capability in the EOC. A Webinar took place this afternoon in the EOC. It was very successful. Helen Keeney noted that it would be great if the public knew of all the technical capabilities that the Fire Department has. Chief Cochran reported that we currently have 3 TV shows on City TV and are working towards a monthly show. Chief Cochran is also getting back on track with an Annual Report that is due out soon. It will be put on DVD and passed out at various community meetings. Chief Cochran and AC James also plan on attending more neighborhood group meetings this year. COMMITTEE REPORTS The Finance Committee met today at 5 pm with Chief Cochran, Assistant Chief James, and DFO Mike Lewis regarding the Budget. Mike Lewis briefed the Commissioners during Administrative Comments. OLD BUSINESS none Fire Board Minutes of January 9fh, 2008 Page 3 of 4 NEW BUSINESS none GENERAL ORDER Helen commented on the great job that the paramedic crew did that responded to the seizure of a 6 yr old at a daycare center. Even though she was not transported the crew stayed with her, at the child's request, until her mother arrived. ADJOURNMENT Chairperson, Yvonne Young McConnell, asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Helen Keeney made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Louis Vinson supported the motion. Motion carried to adjourn the meeting at 6:39 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by: r February 13, 2008 Patti Starnes, Fire Board Secretary Date Fire Board Minutes of January 9th, 2008 Page 4 of 4 * y�.T78IArQ.. l CITY OF LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS Meeting Agenda FEO 2 r- Wednesday,December 12, 2007 at 6:00 Pm Station#41 120 E.Shiawassee St, r" `�`°•�• L 7 i,(-L. Call to Order- Roll Call Request for Commissioners to be excused: Robert Hudson Additions to the Agenda: Review/Approval of Minutes: October Review of Communications: Box 23 -70th Anniversary 25th Annual Hispanic Christmas Symposium Presentations: Chief Cochran — Board Appreciation—present gifts Administrative Comments: 1. SILVER BELLS 2. PROMOTIONS 3. BUDGET Committee Reports: Old Business: New Business: 2008 Meeting Schedule General Order: Adjournment. COMMISSIONERS: Yvonne Young McConnell,Chairperson Carlos Barajas, Vice-Chairperson Robert Brown Jr. Frank Ferro Robert Hudson Helen Keeney Louis Vinson III SECRETARY: Patti Starnes Please Contact Patti Starnes in the Fire Administration Office at 483-4564 24 Hours in Advance If You Cannot Attend or if Special Accommodations Are Needed. None ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTS Assistant Chief James Assistant Chief James requested that "vote on budget" be added under"old business" Assistant Chief James is requesting approval of the budget. Run Stats/Response Times —There is an increase of 313 runs or a 6.4% increase in runs compared to same time period last year. We used to average a 4% percent increase yearly, however during economically trying times our runs tend to increase. We are averaging 44 runs per 24 hour shift. Out of the additional 313 runs 290 are EMS related. The increase is in EMS responses. Assistant Chief James explained the comparison documents that were presented to the board. Frank Ferro asked about how the economic downturn affects our service calls. Assistant Chief James reported that the homeless population has increased therefore increasing our EMS calls. Chief Atkins commented that at the last meeting he attended with the homeless shelters for 2007 the homeless population has increased 3 fold with the increase being women and children. It is due to mortgage problems and code compliance issues. Helen asked about the suicide rate. Assistant Chief James reported that we really don't track it. It is more likely to be tracked after transport to the hospital. Assistant Chief James answered questions regarding the various types of calls. We received a call from a citizen on the south side who wanted thank the individual who from LFD who replaced a broken bike. Fire Administration is trying to track down an EMS call to thank one our fire fighter's who went beyond the call of duty. A call came in regarding a child's foot being stuck in the spokes of his bike. Our crews responded and helped the child but the bike was broken. The next day one of our fire fighters gave the child another bike. MIOSHA Complaint - Back in January we received a MIOSHA Complaint after an employee exposure. The MIOSHA investigation found that we were in violation of 4 separate parts of our operating guidelines and parts of the state laws on blood borne pathogens and infectious disease. We have completed an informal settlement with MIOSHA. The problems have been corrected and the fines have been paid. The fines started at $10,000 and were abated and reduced down to $2437. 50. Discussion. Hiring —The City of Lansing is accepting applications for Firefighter I until May 16t" 2008. July 28t" is the projected hire date. Human Resources will be reviewing the applications between the 16t" and the 28t". They will be filtered through to take the ability test. Interviews should start on June 23rd. We are planning on hiring 6-8 people. In Lansing applicants are required to have FF I & II and an EMT or Paramedic license. The Ability test will take place the mid to end of June. Discussion followed regarding the hiring process. The Board is invited to observe the ability testing practice sessions. Patti Starnes will email the test practice dates to the Board. Lansing Fire Board Minutes of May 14th, 2008 Page 2 of 4 on Saturday EMS Week—There is an open house at Station nvited to attend.May 17th from 1-3 p.m. to kick off the start of EMS week. The Boa Ambulance Billing - We are in the process of changing our ambulance billing company effective July 1st, 2008. The new billing company is Med3000 out of Dayton Ohio. They are in the process of auditing our reports to make sure we are Medicare/Medicaid compliant. We are looking forward ttea in the transition. nl for the changeover.oWebvvill now be seamless. They have an aggress place able to accept credit card payments. It should be easier for the crew because they will no longer have to wait for face sheets from the heconomic times.ssAC James followed. reported Ferro asked about collections during these tough that there has been a trend of individuals the paymenting kwasr intey from nded nded foheir insurance company and not paying the agency that r. On behalf of Chief Cochran, Assistant Chief James reported that he apologized that he could not attend the meeting tonight. He is spending the evening at his son's national honor society recognition night. Assistant Chief James reported that Station 3 is now open — and crews have been running out of there for about 3 weeks now. The move is considered temporary for now and there is no date or timeline for what "temporary" means. We are moving ahead with plans to build new station and close 3 and 7. Louis Vinson asked about what repairs had been done at#3. AC James reported that it has been painted, holes have been repaired along with the ceiling. The roof has been done several times. Robert Brown Jr. asked about build sites for the new station. AC James reported that there are a couple of possibilities near GM in the area of ML King/Main and Williams area. New Business LFD Memorial Service will be held on Sat May 24th at Mt. Hope cemetery at 11 am. Assistant Chief encouraged the Board to participate if they are available. Old Business Budget—Assistant Chief James presented and discussed the budget to the Board. He reported the LFD received a slight increase overall. Due to the increase in wages and health care costs there were some cuts to some other accts such as the uniform and operating accts. We were able to defer some hydrant fees Discussion took place regarding the new fees and fee changes that are charged for inspections, plan review, fire works and burn permits. A motion was made by Robert Brown Jr. and supported by Helen Keeney to approve the 2008/2009 Lansing Fire Department budget. Discussion. Assistant Chief James reported that certainly there are a lot of projects and programs we would like to implement and new staff positions we could come up with but given these economic times and what the city is facing we can work within this budget and still provide the citizens with quality service from all of our divisions. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. Lansing Fire Board Minutes of May 14th, 2008 page 3 of 4 i ?l ` CITY OF LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS Meeting Agenda Wednesday June 11th 2008 at 6:00 pm E Di4`. �`• j� Station#47-629 N.Jenison Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chie Call to Order- Roll Call Request for Commissioners to be excused: Additions to the Agenda: Review/Approval of Minutes: May Review of Communications: Thank You Letter Presentations: Administrative Comments: 1. Storm Update 2. Budget 3. Hiring Committee Reports: Old Business: New Business: General Order: Adjournment: COMMISSIONERS: Yvonne Young McConnell,Chairperson Carlos Barajas, Vice-Chairperson Robert Brown Jr. Frank Ferro Robert Hudson Helen Keeney Alicia Perez-Banuet Louis Vinson III SECRETARY: Patti Starnes Please Contact Patti Starnes in the Fire Administration office at 483-4564 24 Hours in Advance If You Cannot Attend or if Special Accommodations Are Needed. LANSING FIRE DEPARTMENT,12o E.SHIAWASSEE ST.,LANSING M148933 CITY OF LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS Meeting Agenda Wednesday May 14th 2008 at 6.00 pm \ {�t( ;_G- Station#46-5135 Pleasant Grove Rd Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chie Call to Order- Roll Call Request for Commissioners to be excused: Yvonne Young McConnell Additions to the Agenda: Review/Approval of Minutes: February - requires vote April— no quorum no vote- information only Review of Communications: Presentations: Administrative Comments: 1. Budget 2. Run Stats 3. Hiring 4. EMS Week Committee Reports: Old Business: New Business: LFD Memorial Service Saturday May 24th, at 11:00 a.m. General Order: Adjournment: COMMISSIONERS: Yvonne Young McConnell,Chairperson Carlos Barajas, Vice-Chairperson Robert Brown Jr. Frank Ferro Robert Hudson Helen Keeney Alicia Perez-Banuet Louis Vinson III SECRETARY: Patti Starnes Please Contact Patti Starnes in the Fire Administration Office at 483-4564 24 Hours in Advance If You Cannot Attend or if Special Accommodations Are Needed. LANSING FIRE DEPARTMENT,120 E.SHIAWASSEE ST.,LANSING M1 48933 PHONE 517-483-4200 3/12/2008) michelle GREKO - PLEASE 110ST ASAP Page 1 From: Patti Starnes To: GREKO, michelle; Holly, John Date: 3/12/2008 4:42 PM Subject: PLEASE POST ASAP Attachments: Patti Starnes.vcf CC: Cochran, William NOTICE OF MEETING CANCELLATION The Lansing Fire Board Meeting Scheduled for Wednesday March 12, 2008 at 6 p.m. has been canceled. Patti Starnes Administrative Secretary Lansing Fire Department phone 517-483-4564 fax 517-483-4488 City of Lansing lip Board of Fire Commissioners �4 ] 120 E. Shiawassee Street Lansing MI 48933 (517)483-4200 Fax 517 483-4488 www.lansin.qfire.com Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran, Fire Chief OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS REGULAR FIRE BOARD MEETING February 13th, 2008 The Lansing Fire Board met in regular session on February 13th, 2008, at Fire Station #2 located at 2114 N. Grand River Ave., Lansing, MI. Fire Commissioner Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Robert Brown Jr. Carlos Barajas Frank Ferro Alicia Perez-Banuet =a Robert Hudson c.n _ Helen Keeney Louis Vinson III _ C Yvonne Young McConnell COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED C" -- None mi OTHERS PRESENT Chief Cochran Station 2 Crew Trent Atkins Patti Starnes ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA Chairperson Yvonne Young McConnell asked for additions to the Agenda. No additions were noted. A motion was made by Helen Keeney and supported by Robert Hudson to accept the Agenda as written. Motion carried with a unanimous vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Frank Ferro and supported by Helen Keeney to approve the January minutes as written. Fire Board Minutes of February 13, 2008 Page 1 of 4 COMMUNICATIONS Lansing Arsonist Press Release — Lazeez Grill Restaurant Arson fire. Chief Cochran reported that LFD crews and our Investigator assisted Lansing Twp. with the Fire and Arson Investigation. The ATF, FBI and Feds were involved as well. Fire Investigator Brad Drury did a terrific job working with several agencies to bring the two individuals to justice. PRESENTATIONS Chief Cochran welcomed new Fire Commissioner Alicia Perez-Banuet to the Board. She will be having an orientation soon with Chief Cochran. Commissioner Perez— Banuet reported that this is her 34th year in Lansing. She has both rented and owned in Lansing and is pleased to be serving on the board. Chief Cochran introduced Station 2, Captain Hufnagel and noted that he was recently promoted to Captain. Captain Hufnagel introduced Engineer Platner and Firefighter Peters. Chief Cochran introduced Emergency Manager, Trent Atkins ADMINISTRATIVE COMMENTS Chief Cochran Budget— Chief Cochran reported that he submitted a Budget with a 6% cut to the Mayor. Chief Cochran is proposing to charge back a hydrant fee to the customer for hydrant usage. Currently LFD's hydrant fee to the BWL is $200,000 annually. Chief Cochran would like to meet with the Finance Committee to review the Final Budget after the Mayor has completed his process. Chief Cochran is optimistic that LFD will have a solid budget. Helen Keeney commented that the public would be amazed to know the Fire Dept is charged for the water/hydrant use. Discussion followed regarding the hydrant/water usage and costs. Carlos asked about getting copies of logs of broken hydrants. Chief Cochran has requested the information from the Board of Water and Light. Frank Ferro asked how many hydrants are in the city. The chief reported that there are 3000 plus (3148) hydrants in the city. Patti Starnes will schedule the Finance Committee meeting. Robert Hudson inquired on the 8 new proposed new hires. Chief Cochran reported that LFD is trying to "front load" the new hires ahead of the expected retirements. This should keep or Overtime costs down. Radios — Chief Cochran interviewed with Angela Cunningham from TV— 6 regarding the new radio system. Chief Cochran is a firm believer that this is a quality system. A lot of things are better than the old system. However, there are some problems with push to talk and dropped calls. Jeff Kludy from the City of Lansing Radio Lab is working really hard to solve the problems. Some of our problems have been with the batteries. Extensive battery testing has been done and new batteries have been purchased. The battery replacement should be completely done in 2-3 weeks. Fire Board Minutes of February 13, 2008 Page 2 of 4 Auto repair shop fire on E Kalamazoo - Chief Cochran reported that Walt Holden one of our fire fighters fell on the ice at the fire and broke his leg. There was a lot of ice created due to the extremely cold weather conditions. The City of Lansing Public Service department did a phenomenal job above and beyond their duties. They dropped a load of salt and hand shoveled it to the icy areas. There were some radio problems at the fire. We have a radio log in place that is used to document the radio problems. We continue to have problems with some buildings with no coverage such as Celebration Cinema. Better coverage has been attained in the local hospital basements by adding antennas. The coverage problems are being addressed by adding antennas to the buildings with coverage problems. The good part of the radio system is the inter operability piece. We can talk to Police and other agencies now. It is not perfect and we are working to address the problems. We do not have as many problems as LPD is having. They use more push to talks than the Fire dept. Alicia Perez-Banuet asked how long the problems have been going on. Chief Cochran reported that problems began in 2005. Calendar— Two ladies recently approached the Chief about doing a tasteful calendar of the Fire Dept. The proceeds will go to the museum and some local charities. One works for the State and one for MSU. They are trying to get it done by 2009. Photo Book - Dan Lalonde approached the Chief regarding the production of an LFD book. He is an Eastern High School graduate and attends LCC working towards becoming a photographer. He presented the Chief with a very impressive example of his work. He will be riding along in the stations and taking photos for the book. The photos will be offered online for purchase on his website. The book will also be for sale. Funds will go back to the museum and other charities as well. Frank Ferro asked about the Museum committee becoming a 501 C3. Chief Cochran believes they are working on it with Dean Brodberg on it. AOG's and SOG's - Chief Cochran reported that the Fire Department AOG's and SOG's are being updated. Citistat— Chief Cochran updated the Board with the current Citistat information. One of the goals of Citistat is to identify any problems and take steps to remedy them. Information will also be presented at weekly Cabinet meetings and discussed between City of Lansing Department Heads. Please give any comments or ideas regarding Citistat to Chief Cochran. Carlos Barajas reported that Citistat appears to be very useful tool. Carlos Barajas asked how the Board could advocate for upgrades to strengthen the radio signals inside of problem buildings identified within the City of Lansing. Chief Cochran reported that that 30 plus buildings were identified. Chief Cochran will get the information for the Board's review. Some of the problems have been addressed with the BEA's and steps are being taking to address the problem buildings. So far the building owners have been very willing to absorb some of the cost of the antennas. COMMITTEE REPORTS No reports were given from the Personnel, Building or Finance Committee. Fire Board Minutes of February 13, 2008 Page 3 of 4 OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS None GENERAL ORDER Robert Hudson asked how the possible regionalization in the Grand Ledge area would impact the Lansing Fire Department. Chief Cochran reported that it wouldn't impact the Lansing Fire Department. He further stated that Lansing continues to look at regionalization, as a department, and with our Regional Metro teams. Chief Cochran reported that Emergency Management Chief Trent Atkins is the Chair of the Region One Regional Homeland Security Planning Board which is responsible for managing the grant funds for the 9 counties of Region One. Helen Keeney reported that the Red Cross is desperately looking for donors. They are down to a 2-day blood supply. Helen asked if the Lansing Fire Department could help out. Chief Cochran reported the Battle for Blood is in July but he will put an email out to the department asking for donors now. Helen Keeney will work with the Red Cross and the Fire Department to help organize if necessary. City Hall on the Road - Chief Cochran reported that it is a great idea. It will take place every other month with tables and booths set up for the public. Last night it was at Pattengill Middle School. On the opposite month the meeting will be at city hall. Chief Cochran thought it went really well. Helen Keeney also reported that it went really well. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Robert Brown Jr. and supported by Helen Keeney to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried with a unanimous vote to adjourn the meeting at 7:05 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by: r May 14th , 2008 Patti Starnes, Fire Board Secretary Date Fire Board Minutes of February 13, 2008 Page 4 of 4 slNo CITY OF LANSING BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS yrx Meeting Agenda Wednesday February 13th, 2008 at 6:00 pm 1 Station#42 4. 2114 N.Grand River Ave. t .. I / r$8 D84�•' Virg Bernero,Mayor Tom Cochran,Fire Chief Call to Order-Roll Call Request for Commissioners to be excused: Additions to the Agenda: Review/Approval of Minutes: January Review of Communications: Press Release re: Lansing Arsonist Presentations: Welcome -Alicia Perez-Banuet to the Lansing Board of Fire Commissioners Administrative Comments: 1. Line of Duty Death and Retired Firefighter deaths 2. Budget 3. Radio Batteries 4. Calendar and Book 5. Department Updates Committee Reports: Old Business: New Business: General Order: Adjournment: COMMISSIONERS: Yvonne Young McConnell,Chairperson Carlos Barajas, Vice-Chairperson Robert Broom Jr. Frank Ferro Robert Hudson Helen Keeney Alicia Perez-Banuet Louis Vinson III SECRETARY: Patti Starnes Please Contact Patti Starnes in the Fire Administration Office at 483-4564 24 Hours in Advance If You Cannot Attend or if Special Accommodations Are Needed. LANSING FIRE DEPARTMENT,120 E.SHIAWASSEE ST.,LANSING MI 48933 PHONE 517-483-4200 �� l�,} II ,� �I I' I. i �i r 1